Kassel and Munster
Skulptur Projekte Münster
Summer 2017 marked an art world trifecta, the Venice Biennale coinciding with Documenta (held every five years) and Skulptur Projekte Münster (held every 10 years). In Kassel and Münster, what began as modest municipal undertakings to reconnect postwar Germany with the global art community have become internationally recognized for their influence. Sources of great civic pride, these shows depart from Venice and the art fair model with their refreshing non-commercial slant. As British artist Jeremy Deller commented to The Art Newspaper, “There are no yachts in Münster, and that’s important.” First launched in 1977 by Klaus Bussmann and Kasper König, Skulptur Projekte Münster (SPM) has become a bellwether of public sculpture. The 10-year intervals allow for “longterm study that consistently reflects the current of a particular time,” in the words of 2007 curator Brigitte Franzen. Its un-themed curatorial approach calls for invited artists to visit the town and submit site-specific proposals. With each iteration, some finished projects remain. …see the entire review in the print version of November’s Sculpture magazine.
