Münster Then

Art world relics from the recent past.

Part of the fun of a visit to Skulptur Projekte Münster is seeing the art left behind from past editions.  Since the event only happens every ten years, it's taken a while for the works by famous artists to pile up.  But after five decades of exhibits featuring some of the world's most notable artists, the public art has indeed piled up. Armed with my rental bike and the 2017 Skulptur Projekte map, I set out to see works installed for the 2017 edition.  But at nearly every turn, you bumped into art from significant artists. It makes a delightful day on a bicycle. Here are some highlights from past years.

Giovanni Anselmo: Verkürzter Himmel

This work from the 1987 edition of the Sculpture Project features the work's title, Verkürzter Himmel [Shortened Heavens] engraved on a simple stainless steel post. For as minimalist as the work is, it was impossible not to stop and explore when it came into view. 

Silke Wagner: Münsters GESCHICHTE VON UNTEN

[Münster's HISTORY FROM BELOW] was installed for the 2007 edition. The sculpture remembers a local activist named Paul Wulf and acts as a advertising column for content from a relevant website, www.uwz-archiv.de.

Silke Wagner: Münsters GESCHICHTE VON UNTEN

Herman de Vries: sanctuarium

This circular brick wall sculpture with sandstone elements was created for the 1997 Sculpture Project. The enclosed area isn't tended like the surrounded park, creating a [hopefully] more natural view.

Herman de Vries: sanctuarium

Openings in the wall allow you to see the "natural" view desired by the artist.  However graffiti and litter have invaded the work, making it something the artist may not have intended. On the day I was there, an abandoned bra added unexpected ornamentation.

Dan Graham: Oktogon für Münster

This octagonal pavilion with two-way-mirrored glass, metal, and wood was built for the 1987 festival.  It may have been my favorite piece I saw in Münster for it's beauty and calming force. It felt like it was imagined just for me.

Dan Graham: Oktogon für Münster

Of course the work wasn't built just for me. Instead it was designed to honor the city's history and a tradition of "pleasure pavilions" that were a Baroque tradition in any palace park.  It certainly lived up to its promise of pleasure.

Donald Judd: Ohne Titel [Untitled]

Ringed walls seemed to be a thing at Sculpture Project including this work form the 1977 edition. Somehow these works have largely avoided graffiti which is ever present in many other works. Perhaps that's because this work is designed to be an idealized version of the existing topography.

Claes Oldenburg: Giant Pool Balls

This work from the first Sculpture Project in 1977 must have been perfectly delightful at a time when art in public spaces was still a bit of a novelty.  Then again, it was pretty dang delightful even in 2017 when the whole city is filled with public art.