Martin Kippenberger

Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin
Private Collection, Cologne
Pisces Trust, Switzerland
Phillips de Pury and Company, New York, May 14, 2004, Lot 207
Acquired by the present owner from the above

Hamburg, Galerie Ascan Crone, Wie komme ich in Kriegszeiten mit Knochenbruch und Futurism klar?, 1985
Darmstadt, Hessisches Landemuseum, Martin Kippenberger, Miete Strom Gas, June - August 1986, cat. no. 11, p. 36, illustrated

Thomas Groetz, Gitarren die nicht Gudrun heißen: Homage to Martin Kippenberger, Berlin, 2003, p. 31, illustrated in color

This painting is in excellent condition. Please contact the Contemporary Art department at 212-606-7254 for a condition report prepared by Terrence Mahon. This canvas is framed in a black painted wood strip frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
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Martin Kippenberger's oeuvre spans mediums, subject matter and techniques with energetic and anarchic vigor.  Wie Komme ich in Kriegszeiten mit Knochenbruch und Futurismus klar belongs to a series of work titled Die I.N.P. – Bilder (the `is-not-so embarrassing' paintings) in which the artist examined his culture and the associations with Nazi history. The title of the present work, translated as How can I cope in times of war with fractures and futurism investigates the cultural clichés of Germany.  There are simultaneously elements of shame and humor as the ultimate non-conformist artist executes his distinctive figurative style.

At first glance it is difficult to distinguish the female form in the present work, as Kippenberger took popular 1980s figure painting and customized it into his fragmented panels to present an abstracted female form on a grand scale.  When viewed with the poster Kippenberger made for the 1984 exhibition at the Galerie Pakesch in Vienna, it is clear that this painting was inspired by the figure in the poster, and in his focus on an up-close portion of the female, Kippenberger presents a composition of angles and shapes. Posters were an immensely important aspect of Kippenberger's career.  Albert Oehlen, a close friend of the artist, commented, "very often Kippenberger makes an exhibition just as a reason to make an invitation card or poster." (Nicole Davis, "I Love Kippenberger", Artnet.com Magazine Features)