Sturtevant

"My intentions are to extend and develop our present notion of aesthetics, to investigate originality and to examine the relation between original and origins; opening up space for new thinking." This is how Elaine Sturtevant described her artistic concept in 1993. This claim, surprising as it may seem at first glance since the American artist has become known by reproducing works by other artists, characterized Sturtevant's debut solo exhibition in New York as early as 1965: With "copies" of, for instance, Andy Warhol's flowers, Jasper Johns' flag pictures, a "soft sculpture" by Claes Oldenburg and a drawing by James Rosenquist - all claiming to be originals - her contribution to the discourse of the time remains unparalleled, addressing the issues of mass production, automatization and depersonalization in the practice of art. The book, conceived by Elaine Sturtevant herself, includes recent works and provides a detailed look at the artist's sophisticated play with the issues of originality, authorship and signature. The artist: Elaine Sturtevant, born 1926 at Lakewood, Ohio. Lives and works in Paris and Harvard, Massachusetts. Exhibition Schedule: Neuer Berliner Kunstverein March 9 - April 21, 2002