Description

---

With his large-scale installations, Jannis Kounellis—pioneer of Arte Povera—celebrated "poor" materials as reminiscences of the waning age of industrialism. "For me, iron and coal are materials that best reflect the world of the industrial revolution and, with this, the origins of contemporary culture" (Kounellis 1989). His works are complemented here by more recent artists, including, among others, Ayse Erkmen, Anselm Kiefer, Michael Sailstorfer, and Bernar Venet.

About the Author

---

Walter Smerling is an exhibition organizer and curator responsible for numerous art and cultural projects. He is Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for Art and Culture e.V. Bonn, Director of the MKM Museum Küppersmühle for Modern Art in Duisburg, and Artistic Director of the Salzburg Foundation.