Benutzerspezifische Werkzeuge

Performing the Self: Conceptions of Artistic ‘Identity’ in 1960s West Germany

The socio-political role of art and artists was central to a continuous discussion and often impassioned debate, which took place in West Germany throughout the 1960s. The workshop will examine different conceptions of artistic identity in Cold War Germany, as well as how these were being challenged and redefined by cultural producers. Using the artists’ book polke/richter richter/polke (1966) as a case study, the paper will explore the public and political instrumentalisation of artists in contrast to their self-representations.