Klaus Baumgärtner: Simple things at Kunstmuseum Den Haag
The Simple things exhibition offers an intimate glimpse into the poetic visual world of Klaus Baumgärtner. Using branches, wooden blocks, newspaper clippings, pencils, erasers and tin cans, Baumgärtner achieved creative expression through the mundane.
Curating the ordinary
Baumgärtner worked in a tradition known as assemblage, a movement which emerged in the early 20th century in response to the aesthetic pomp of the artistic establishment. He began each work with the act of looking and then collected objects that caught his eye. Focusing on simplicity and tranquillity, he altered these found materials as little as possible. The resulting works centre on the interplay of rhythm, form, line, contrast and connection.
The humble combinations avoid any fixed narrative. Quite the opposite, in fact: Baumgärtner was not interested in explanations. His work invites the viewer to look and to find beauty in the ordinary and the unexpected.
‘Look with fresh eyes in order to assign new meaning to what already exists.’
– Klaus Baumgärtner speaking to students
About Klaus Baumgärtner
Baumgärtner (1948-2013) was not only a sculptor, photographer and book designer but a typographer as well. Born in Germany, he trained in Switzerland. He moved to The Hague in 1984 in order to take a teaching position at the Royal Academy of Art, KABK. Baumgärtner was a popular lecturer whose keen powers of observation and versatile artistic practice made a deep impression on his students.
