Martin Kippenberger (b. 1953, Austria – d. 1997, Germany)
Modell Interconti, 1983

I’m gonna break my rule of only having one piece per artist on this blog. This piece by Kippenberger is just too good to miss. Painting by Gerhard Richter turned into a coffee table.

So many things are going on here. Repurposing of a painting to utilitarian piece of furniture – a very witty comment on consumerist perception of art. But also seeing an overlooked affordance in the painting. Also, de-dramatising, de-sacralising art. Also a kind of collaboration that tickles concepts of authorship…

I haven’t come close to it in my realisations (although repurposing of Lobutains or Monolos into brooches remain on my list), but my piece Colaborations goes in that direction.