Man in the Middle
From the Deutsche Bank collection
14 September 2002 - 15 November 2002

On 14th September, 2002, an exhibition of more than 70 works of the 20th century art from the Deutsche Bank collection will open in the Alexander Hall of the Winter Palace, The State Hermitage Museum. The exhibition is organized by the State Hermitage Museum in collaboration with Deutsche Bank.
The Deutsche Bank collection includes about 50 thousand pieces in 911 bank offices in 43 countries, from classics of modern art of the 1910-30s to the latest developments.

The exhibition shows drawings, paintings and sculptures of the famous Expressionists Ernst Barlach, Max Beckman, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Erich Heckel, grotesque satires of Otto Dix, Georg Grosz and Karl Hubbuch from the 1920s, Oscar Schlemmer's stylized watercolors from the 1930s and works of the renowned postwar masters Horst Antes, Georg Baselitz and Eugen Schonbeck. Drawings and bronze cast of 1961 will represent the key postmodern figure Joseph Beuys whose influence was instrumental on many important modern artists. Photos of the 1980-90s will be an important section in the show, introducing the specific art of this period.
At its inception the collection focused on classical Modernism. Starting in 1979, works by artists who were active mainly after 1945 were added. In the eighties it was decided to broaden the collection's initial focus on the German-speaking world to include European art in general, and later international art. Present acquisitions concentrate on the current generation of artists as well as on optimising the collection. Concept The Deutsche Bank has been promoting both cultural exchange and contemporary art since the 1970s. "Deutsche Bank Art" comprises the Bank's own art collection under the motto "Art at work", numerous exhibitions from the Bank's stock of art works, the Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin exhibition hall, and the Moment Deutsche Bank project series.

A special page in Deutsche Bank history in Russia belongs to the financial support of cultural initiatives. Along with other international projects Deutsche Bank has financed and arranged the following events in Russia: the exhibition A man and a landscape in modern art and graphic (Moscow 1983), the exhibition Russian and Soviet art: traditions and contemporaneity (Duesseldorf, Stuttgart, Hannover, 1984, 1985), Horst Janssen exhibition (Novosibirsk, Moscow, 1985 and 2000), the exhibition Horrors and hope: a peace and a war by eyes of artists (Moscow, Leningrad, 1988), the concert of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra leads by Claudio Abbado (Moscow 1999), the exhibition Amazons of the Avant-Garde (Berlin, 1999; London, Nov. 1999 and Febr. 2000; Venice, Febr.-May 2000; Bilbao, June-Aug. 2000; New-York, 2000; Moscow, 2001), the exhibition The big future Germans in Russian economy (Moscow 2000), the Christmas Charity Concert of the Moscow OratorioSociety (Moscow, 2000), the final concert in the framework of Bach Year (Moscow, St. Petersburg, 2000), the Concert of Young Musicians (Moscow, 2001), Oleg Vukolov Exhibition (Moscow, 2001), Schoenberg-Kandinsky exhibition (Moscow,2001-2002).

A variety of programs and educational resources will be scheduled in conjunction with the exhibition sponsored by Deutsche Bank.

Hammock VI
Max Pechstein
Larger view

Pink lingerie
Johannes Grutzke
Larger view

Daphne
Renee Sintenis
Larger view

Sun-Colors-Life
Alexej von Jawlensky
Larger view

Aprons
Gabriele Munter
Larger view