Among the few good things that corporations routinely give back to the world community are endowments to the arts, and the DaimlerChrysler (formerly Daimler-Benz) corporation is one such company. Most recently, it has been an obvious benefactor of Matthew Barney’s visually stunning Cremaster films, and since 1977 has built up its DaimlerChrysler Collection, which now includes over 1,000 works of art by German and international artists. These pieces are scattered throughout DaimlerChrysler’s locations. In addition, Potsdamer Platz is home to seven sculptures from various artists that study "the relationship between art and urban space." Jeff Koons’s Balloon Flowers is pictured below.
The DaimlerChrysler Contemporary gallery is located on the fourth floor of the renovated Haus Huth at Potsdamer Platz. It’s nearly impossible to spot—a small, historical building amongst the flashy architecture that now dots this area. Despite having the address, and later realizing I must have walked by the building at least four times, I was forced to ask about six different people if they knew where the gallery was. Apparently this isn’t a well-traveled art stop, as only one person (the last one I asked) was able to definitively direct me towards the gallery. Ah well, that should give you that much more motivation to check it out. Use the photo I took of the entrance to help guide you.
Ring the buzzer to get in the building and proceed up the winding staircase to the fourth floor, where a friendly gallery assistant will greet you and point out the postcards and press releases pertaining to the exhibited work. The space is wide open, with polished wooden floors, and provides ample room for pieces of any size to rest comfortably without being squeezed by other works.
The DaimlerChrysler Collection includes works from well-known artists such as Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Max Bill, and Walter de Maria. Pieces from these artists and others may be included in one or more of the four different exhibits that go up each year at the DaimlerChrysler Contemporary gallery, which alternately focuses on the permanent collection and new acquisitions. The gallery hosts exhibitions that spotlight single artists as well.
When I visited, the current exhibit was entitled Minimalism and After II, featuring works from artists such as John McLaughlin, Daniel Buren, Olivier Mosset, and Gerwald Rockenschaub. Rockenschaub’s Six Animations was one of the more striking, incorporating six DVDs, six DVD players, and six monitors on plinth and floor slab to study the relationship between mass media and its effects on the art world. I also enjoyed Mosset’s self-mocking Untitled (tic tac toe series), which references his work from the ’60s and ’70s. Minimalism and After II will be up until May 18, 2003. The gallery is open daily from 11am to 6pm.
With so much going on around Potsdamer Platz, take an artsy breather and give the DaimlerChrysler Contemporary a walk-through. For more info, check out the DaimlerChrysler Collection homepage.