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BEUYS TO HIRST: ART WORKS AT DEUTSCHE BANK
Dean Gallery, Edinburgh, Wed 7 Nov—Sun 13 Jan.
Most offices have to be content with the odd print from lkea or Habitat or worse still, those awful motivation posters adorning the walls. You know the sort of thing: a lovely sunset or beach scene with the words ‘Only positive attitudes allowed beyond this point’. But at Deutsche Bank, workers are surrounded by contemporary art ranging from Joseph Beuys and Sigmar Polke to Gary Hume and Damien Hirst.
The Deutsche Bank has around 48,000 works of art, mainly prints and drawings, making it the largest international contemporary art collection in the world. Since 1979, when senior executive Dr Herbert Zapp persuaded colleagues that every floor of their new headquarters in Frankfurt should be given over to
the work of a different German artist, collecting art has become an integral part of the bank’s policy. As the bank has expanded internationally, so too has the collection. Its London base is filled with works by both German and British artists. Meetings are held in rooms called the Bacon or the Freud with each room containing artworks by that person. Damien Hirst’s spot painting sits in the reception area along with Anish Kapoor’s huge circular sculpture. With such an impressive collection, are they
just buying for investment?
‘The prime aim of the collection is to enhance the environment,’ explains Mary Findlay, curator of Deutsche Bank London’s art collection. ‘We want to make it a nice place for staff to work in and obviously a nice place for clients to come to, but it’s not done for investment
purposes.’
In the first exhibition in a British public gallery, the Deutsche Bank will be showing off the cream of its collection, bringing together around 100 works by British and German artists from 1960 to the present day. There are works on paper by Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer and
StLUI MUHE
FILIBERTO MORA
Art Gallery and Museum, Kelvingrove, Glasgow, Fri 9~Sat 24 Nov.
\r'fa'ia iii r:er any I lax/aria street and you'll see peoi tit: ."."t-;tll‘llltj necklaces and bracelets of white. red. blue, green and yellow brightly coloured beads with some dressed headto-toe in white. The beads and white clothes are not fashion staterrients but proof that the '.’.’(:art-;l'S are followers of the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria. whose origins date back to the time when stares held onto their African identities by rrorshrpprng Yoruba gods through singing. dancing and drumming.
Santeria is fIOurishrng in Cuba right nosr, filling the spiritual vacuum that appeared «luring the early Itifrtis when S’)‘/lt:i lJnion support of the island abruptly stopped and the economy fell into a black hole. the religion, perpetually part of the life of most i‘nusir;rans, became the sound of ti re streets. Oh God, Empower Me!' was Just one hit by l os Van Van, wth lit} 1 a
iarida sereriadirig the powers of 't’apa Chango' the great thiarr'ior' god of tire and Virility.
86 THE LIST I talk; xiii“.
The Velocity of Drops: Stairwell - Running, Falling, Rising, detail, 1995
by Christine Borland
George Baselitz and a sculpture room housing Tony Cragg’s magnificent dice sculpture Secretions. A photography room presents work by Susan Derges, Hannah Collins and Bernd and Hilla Becher while another recreates a typical art-filled office seen in the bank.
The opening of the collection also coincides with a new Deutsche Bank building at Crewe Toll. Conference rooms are named after seven Scottish artists including Charles Avery, Christine Borland, Moyna Flannigan and Callum
lnnes. In the main reception area hangs Alison Watt’s
achieve fame.
painting Suspend.
And as well as enriching the working environment for many of its workers and visitors, Deutsche Bank supports up-and-coming artists, many of whom have gone on to
‘That’s what the collection is all about,’ says Findlay.
A major exra r trorr oi the ()risha Gods of Santeria Ire» at the heart of the visual arts prograinrr'e 'r' (-‘rlasgoixr's Si Cuba! Festival, corr‘: ;!t1,|' :5; over zit) papier- inaChe sculpture. b,’ i Luban artist Filiberto Mora.
'Santei‘ia is strong in Hegla where I live.' says Mom. 'lts optimistic attitudes make it relevant to the everyday life of many people. It is also linked to (,atholrcrsiii ire: ,ai ise oxer‘y Afro-Cuban god has a doupie as a Catholic saint: slaves had to in e ,' in r; ( Ihristian to gain
‘lt’s basically about buying and supporting young, up~and- coming artists. But having said that, we usually wait until they’ve been snapped up by a gallery or their first show which is when they need to be supported more than anything else.’ (Helen Monaghan)
*5.
’ .5 m Ibrahim Ferrer of the Buena Vista Social Club with one of Filiberto More’s sculptures
their freedom so they matched their deities with the saints so they could carry on worshipping them. The Virgin of Regla for example is also Yemaya goddess of the sea.‘
Mora is renowned for his models of |orry~buses, bicycle taxis and motorcycles filled with Cuban characters from country guitarists to children with dogs. “For me,’ Mora adds, “there is nothing more elementally powerful than paper, flour, water. paint and the imagination.‘ (Jan Fairley)
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ARII ltJi 'S Si Al IS it It
venue for artist lll residence Anne Marie ()ulhane. ()reating artworks in response to the geology and history of this famous i'tilltiillltltl landmark. Cthane is ili‘.’ltlllt_; people to submit creative responses for a forthcoming publication and exhibition in the New Year. this could include poems. sketches, photographs or‘ stories. l or more information contact Culhane at Out of the Blue. t; it New Street, i_.(i|lii)tli’t}il or (,all 0131 £358 988$) or e rnarl WOOi<5@tI()tlllétl|.(';()lll
THIS YEAR’S TURNER PRIZE exhibition opens at Tate Britain, London from 7 November. Featuring the work of the four shortlisted artists — Richard Billingham, Martin Creed, Isaac Julien and Mike Nelson — the winner of the £20,000 prize will be announced during a live broadcast of the award ceremony on Channel 4 on 9 December. Billingham will be showing a new selection of photographs and two video projections; Creed’s # 227: the lights going on and off responds directly to the space; Julien shows two video installations and Nelson, 3 research fellow at Edinburgh College of Art, has built an architectural installation in the space. GLASGOW HASH) AHIIESI David Shrigley has a new publication of new dran‘rrngs and photographs out this month. {Jo Not Bond published by Redstone press features more darkly liurnr lit iris and absurd otf)ser\.rations on the nonsensical aspects of the human (lt)ll(llilt)ll. His drawings have also been used to illustrate .i recent British ()ounttrl publri‘atron of cross cultural writing from the t ll<, /(/()llilt‘/ Papers. Sitlltlitfi‘, has also been rnyitetl to select works from the National (Balk-mes pennanent collection for a small display at the National tialleiy Of Modern Art ‘.r‘-.’ll|tltl or lens on 124 November, and |litZitI(it‘:f3 Shrigley's own wor k.
Do Not Bend: more witty observations from David Shrigley