Occupying Space
Generali Foundation Collection in Munich, GER

In an extensive exhibition entitled Occupying Space, the Generali Foundation’s renowned international collection of contemporary art had its premiere presentation, which was shown at a number of Europe’s major art centers and museums. A comprehensive collection catalogue of the same name was published in 2003. The large-scale exhibition offered an overview of the collection but was not l aid out as an "exhibition of achievements." Instead, it formed connections between the various works. The dialogue-based presentation mirrored the concept of the collection. For the first venue at the Haus der Kunst a special project with artists was planned.

At that time, the Generali Foundation had been distinguished by a well-formulated and competent program for 15 years, especially since the establishment of an exhibition space in Vienna's fourth district. In interplay with the exhibition activity and parallel to it, an extraordinary collection had been compiled. The collection comprised then approximately 1 ,500 artworks by 160 artists. Particularly characteristic of the collection is its focus on art with a challenging and socially critical content ; on works from the 1960s and 1970s in dialogue with those of young artists. Numerous works had been on loan to art institutions and museums around the world in the preceding years.

This year, the Generali Foundation celebrated its tenth anniversary in the building in Wiedner Hauptstraße in Vienna IV, which was opened in March 1995. Since its foundation in 1988, it has been characterized by a pronounced and competent program. In parallel and in interaction with the exhibitions, this extraordinary collection was built up. "One endeavor is to thematize, to represent a particular position in art, as well as to represent artists through comprehensive blocks of works," said Sabine Breitwieser, then director of the Generali Foundation, describing the intention of the collection as well as the institution itself. The focus is on art movements and works that are often described as "difficult". The courage to create a collection that is both ambitious in terms of content and consistent is therefore surprising, particularly because it is backed by an insurance company.

For this first venue of the exhibition tour of the Generali Foundation Collection, two artist projects were specially realized: Under the motto Waste of Time, Alice Creischer and Andreas Siekmann invited visitors to take a thematic walk through the collection with an exhibition guide. A course consisting of three routes led to "vantage points" at which thoughts about time, work, and utilization were pursued in the historical context of individual works. The "golden bar" in the Haus der Kunst featured an installation of furniture by Franz West, which he designed together with Marcus Geiger / Peter Kogler (fabric) and Heimo Zobernig (tables) for the Generali Foundation in Vienna.

Venues and dates of the exhibition tour:

Haus der Kunst, Munich
9 March through 16 May 2005

Director: Chris Dercon, Chief Curator: Thomas Weski

Witte de With, Nederlands Fotomuseum, TENT, Rotterdam, NL
Simultaneously at three venues, 8 July through 28 August 2005

Director Witte de With: Hans Maarten van den Brink

Director Nederlands Fotomuseum: Ruud Visschedijk, Chief Curator: Frits Gierstberg

Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb
28 October through 9 December 2005

Director: Snježana Pintarić, Chief Curator: Tihomir Milovac