Annual gifts from the art associations: Is a gift still missing?

Ein old cleaning rags for Christmas? But certainly if the deceptively real-looking crumpled thing is made of colored glazed ceramic and represents a homage. Nina Kuttler dedicates her work to Agnes Pockels, an almost forgotten German physical chemist who kept house for her sick parents. As she washed dishes, she observed the effects of oil, soap, and other chemicals on the surface tension of water. In 1893, Nature published her groundbreaking discovery at a time when women had little voice in science. The Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof is offering Kuttler’s “Dirty Laundry” in a small edition for 280 euros.

If you love art, it’s wonderful to get presents with the help of the art associations: they unwrap the popular annual gifts just before Christmas. True to the motto that one hand washes the other, works of art can often be obtained below market prices, even by well-known greats. The clubs, in turn, not only post income for themselves and often also for the producers, but can also attract new members. Because membership is a prerequisite for price reductions almost everywhere. However, the annual contributions are usually manageable, tax-deductible and are also suitable as a gift. More than 300 art associations are active in Germany. The fact that some still have annual editions from earlier years on offer does not make it any easier to choose.

From the Harburg train station, you can take the S-Bahn to Hamburg Central Station and then walk to the Hanseatic City Art Association. You could easily set up an apartment with his annual donations. There are Rirkrit Tiravanija’s 1997 reissued plywood tables (price on request) and chairs (500 euros) or Paul Spengemann’s aluminum armchair with paws (edition of 100, 4000 euros), which match the “Dominatrix table” on high-heeled latex boots could. Filip Berg thus paraphrased the animal leg theme of 17th century furniture (edition of 68, 8 color options, 4500 euros).

Fauna also permeates the gifts of the Kölnischer Kunstverein, where John Russell has flies dipped in resin seemingly floating as grotesque sculptures on wafer-thin carbon rods (each 950 euros, 6 unique pieces). The Neue Chemnitzer Kunsthütte means very well with its members. She commissioned graphics. None cost more than 60 euros; Wolfgang Hennes contributes the screen print “Oktoberabendroterntedank”, populated by mysterious figures.

Only Oded Avramovsky’s black organic cotton bag “The Ax Never Strikes Twice” with the outline drawing of an ax in the skull is cheaper at 15 euros – and the small imprint “Dortmunder Kunstverein”. If you want to buy Isaac Julien’s photo work of a lonely horseman by the sea, you have to dig deeper into your pockets. “At the same Hour” refers to the former slave and Afro-American abolitionist Frederick Douglass, whose story is treated by this year’s Kaiserring bearer of the city of Goslar in his current exhibition in the Association for the Promotion of Modern Art in the Mönchehaus (3900; edition of 30 plus 10 artist copies).

Many other art houses were tempted to imitate the example of the art associations’ annual donations, such as the Museum Abteiberg in Mönchengladbach. Its museum association is celebrating its 120th anniversary and came up with something special for its 50th annual edition. Based on Marcel Duchamp’s “Green Box” in the house’s inventory and the cassette catalogs of the former director Johannes Cladders, a gray cardboard box was sent to 140 artists with the request for a design. 66 came back, each more desirable than the last. Jonathan Meese wrote things like “Art is Stunk” in his, but don’t take his word for it given Felix Droese’s cosmic explosion-like “Putin’s Descent into Hell,” Alexandra Bircken’s strands of hair “gene pool,” and plenty of amazing boxes more (each 1200 euros).

The Westfälischer Kunstverein in Münster is lavish again. Six contributors donated silicone collages, cushion art and sewn pictures – and there are also rags here: The Japanese artist Suchan Kinoshita soaks pieces of textile in cement and sticks the astonishingly poetic “cement rags” onto large, shiny silver surfaces (8 unique pieces, each 2100 euros).