The exhibition “Zerreißprobe. Art between Politics and Society. Collection of the Nationalgalerie 1945 — 2000” at the Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin presents artistic developments from 1945 to the turn of the millennium as a reflection of social and political upheavals. Characterised by an unprecedented variety of materials, media and methods, the art of the second half of the 20th century is marked by division, disruption, but also renewal. Whether the Holocaust and war, awakening and emancipation, the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall — all these events caused tensions in society and led to fundamental reorientations in the visual arts.
In 14 chapters, the show highlights central themes such as realism and abstraction, politics and society, feminism, identity, nature and ecology. The title “Zerreißprobe” refers to a radical performance by the Viennese actionist Günter Brus, which symbolises artistic and social borderline experiences. The exhibition brings together works by important artists such as Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys, Francis Bacon, Rebecca Horn, Andy Warhol and many others from East and West Germany, Western Europe, the USA and former socialist states. The collection is supplemented by previously unrepresented positions by female artists such as Kiki Kogelnik and Ewa Partum, thus presenting a multifaceted panorama of art in the field of tension between politics and society.
