Fotos von Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge plexiglasedly
Eine Stele der Künstlerin Vera Röhm aus ihrem Zuyklus «Ergänzungen» auf der INSEL im Salzgittersee. KUNSTüberall ist ein Kulturprojekt der Stadt Salzgitter, das von Alexander Baier bis 2003 initiiert und verantwortlich geleitet wurde.
***
Kommentarfunktion auf Bitten von Greenpeace deaktiviert.
***
Title: Rothko at Guggenheim
Click to enlarge completelycolouredly
Recently, an art collector introduced the artist to his guests: «You better should not try to analyse whether Andreas Baier‘s digital paintings are driven by the power of modern Romanticism, late Expressionism, the Renaissance, neo-Catholicism or a pop art culture that impressionismly refuses to say bye-bye. It is much more important to know that since the new millennium the artist neither does exhibitions nor does he enter aeroplanes – both by principle reason».
The artist Andreas Baier proudly presents his brand new brochure «Digital Paintings – Volume 3». A little bit more than seventy digital paintings are ready to take you on an unforgettable journey through the history of art.
***
Comments disabled.
***
Click to enlarge yoshikaroshiedly
London based advertising agency hamster&james – famous for its polarising communication skills – has just launched a brand new but highly sophisticated campaign following its own rule #1 saying that nothing is better than anything but worse than mediocrity – a statement especially designed to make competitors in the advertising business nervous. And nervous they are.
The clients from the Japanese fashion label Yoshi Karoshi, however, are focused on their mission: not to only promote their top-quality brand but to also protect and to save our beautiful world. Jonathan James, the agency’s proud account manager of the year, points out that only if the human race learns how to live and think as honeybees then both species have a chance to make it into a bright and sunshine-esque future, otherwise they will be sentenced to die a most dreadful death.
Consequently, this campaign will not be spread the mainstream way, as the Executive Creative Director Hale Bodenkamp explains to us: «We go to the people and talk to them personally – wherever they live: in trains, cars, restaurants, under the rooftop and in hotel rooms, of course. Make sure you never ever catch them at home – they don’t like that. And all you have to do then is to show them the ad. Basically that will do – as long as you think in long-term terms».
The fashion company’s CEO Sushimushi Yuwarikana confirms that they have already hired some 400.000 hand-out-workers in order to make this distinctive goal-approach work. And she adds: «This is the biggest challenge in our company’s history!» Easy to believe.
***
Sensitive topic. Therefore comments off.
***
Fotos von Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge sculpturedly
Ende 1988 war die Bundeswehr im Rahmen einer Übung mit ihrem Heeres Lastenhubschrauber dabei behilflich, auf der INSEL im Salzittersee eine sechsteilige und ziemlich schwere Arbeit des Künstlers Stephan Kern aufzubauen. Repräsentiert wird Stephan Kern von der Galerie Wittenbrink. Initiiert und verantwortlich geleitet wurde Projekt KUNSTüberall der Stadt Salzgitter von Alexander Baier.
Die Bundeswehrübung war beendet, der Hubschrauber packte seine Sachen und flog zurück zu seinem Standort. Vorne rechts eine Arbeit aus Carrara-Marmor des Bildhauers Michael Schoenholz.
***
Kommentarfunktion auf Bitten von Greenpeace deaktiviert.
***
Click to enlarge horsebackridingly
All photographs by Andreas Baier
The most exciting party pendant Les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie à Arles is the one given by Luc Hoffmann’s family out there deep in the Camargue.
The atmosphere is hot, dry and somewhat cool. And so is the music: The Gipsy Kings, living in Arles anyway, sit in the shadow and play their guitars as if nothing special. Everything and everybody is completely relaxed. Music, food, dance, music, food, dance, and so on:
If someone of our readers could figure out the Chinese photographer’s name we would be more than just happy! All we remember is that his work which was exhibited during the «Rencontres» was simply stunning.
The two photographers Guy Le Querrec and Franco Fontana were celebrating nothing but pure happiness. Was Franco kindly asked to leave his hands above Guy’s belt? Both have been freshly recognised as trusted holiday representatives and were featured on L’oeil de la Photographie.
***
Sensitive topic. Therefore comments off.
***
Photographs by Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge hoepkeredly
On October 31st in 1987 Thomas Höpker’s exhibition «Ansichten eines Reporters» had its vernissage in the famous Rubens-town Siegen. Our staff-photographer Andreas Baier could not resist documenting this event with his camera. We have already featured one picture of this series here; including some information about Thomas Höpker’s CV and where to purchase prints of his fantastic work best as well. Thomas Höpker is still the only German photographer who joined the legendary photo-agency Magnum Photos based on a «full membership», which he also ran from 2003 until 2007 as its president.
***
Sensitive topic. Therefore comments off.
***
Foto von Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge de-occupiedly
Weitere Fotos von dieser schönen Veranstaltung gibt es hier zu sehen.
***
Kommentarfunktion auf Bitten von Greenpeace deaktiviert.
***
Click to enlarge beuysedly
Eigentlich dachten wir ja, Sie seien nach Ihrer Schlappe vor dem BGH und der aufmerksamen Lektüre unseres kleinen Besinnungsfotoaufsatzes bezogen auf die aktuelle Ausstellung im ZKM «Beuys Brock Vostell» – zumindest was Ihre legendäre Prozeßfreudigkeit angeht –, irgendwie etwas ruhiger geworden, aber mitnichten: «Man hat meinen Mann in der Öffentlichkeit lächerlich gemacht», so werden Sie wortwörtlich auf dem Portal von RP-Online zitiert.
Doch was war passiert? Ganz einfach: Die drei Künstler Andree Korpys, Dieter Schmal und Markus Löffler haben in einer künstlerischen Aktion im Düsseldorfer Museum Kunstpalast laut art – Das Kunstmagazin aus den über 30 Jahre alten Margarineresten einer der berühmten Fettecken Ihres Mannes Joseph mit einer Apothekerdestille erst 80-prozentigen Alkohol gebrannt und diesen dann zu etwa vier Litern 50-prozentigem Schnaps verdünnt – und sodann einen kleinen Teil davon sogar andächtig selbst verinnerlich, sprich: getrunken. «Der Geschmack», so einer der drei an dieser Aktion beteiligten künstlerischen Entscheidungsträger, «erinnere ein bißchen an Parmesan».
Die Vorgeschichte: Im Jahre 1982 bringt Joseph Beuys in seinem Atelier, Raum 3 der Düsseldorfer Kunstakademie, auf Bitten seines Schülers Johannes Stüttgen dort eine Fettecke an, die jedoch, wie das mit Beuys-Werken schon häufiger passiert ist, 1986 vom zuständigen Hausmeister als Müll erkannt und in dem aus seiner Sicht zuständigen Eimer entsorgt wird. Stüttgen rettet die Überreste und lagert sie im Keller seines heimischen Reiches. Außerdem erstreitet er vor Gericht einen Schadenersatz von DM 40.000,-, womit juristisch bereits geklärt sein dürfte, daß die hier gegenständlichen Beuyschen Fetteckenüberreste keinen Status mehr als Kunstwerk genießen und somit auch nicht den besonderen Schutz des Urheberschutzgesetzes.
Hommage à Joseph Beuys
mit dem Titel: «Knäckebrot nach 48 Stunden mittags»
Ihre freimütige Selbstauskunft klingt so: «Beim Anblick des Schnapsfläschleins, auf dessen Etikett der Name meines Mannes steht, ist mir der Scheck, quatsch, Shreck in die Glieder gefahren.» Really? Außerdem seyen Sie zutiefst aufgewühlt und legen, weil dem unvermeidlicherweise so zu sein hat, nochmals gehörig ein anständiges Schippchen Tobak obendrauf: «Das ist der Akt des Kannibalismus, der nicht zu Beuys und seine Kunstauffassung paßt. Niemand hat bis heute die Fettecke meines Mannes verstanden».
Puh, mit dieser unzutreffenden Analogie haben Sie sich tief in die Ackerfurchen eines ganz besonderen und hoch deliziös-religiösen Disputes katapultiert, den schon die Sponti-Fraktion der 68er-Bewegung spaßeshalber gerne mit kirchlichen Traditionalisten führte: «Erfüllt der Verzehr einer gewandelten Hostie den Tatbestand des Kannibalismus?
Um diesem Gedankengang jedoch mit einiger Berechtigung Gehör verschaffen zu können, ist es zwingend erforderlich, daß ein – wie auch immer zubereiteter – menschlicher Körper zum Verzehr zur Disposition steht. Also: Jesus, ein Mensch aus Fleisch und Blut, verstirbt, fährt auf in den Himmel und seine Jünger sowie etwas später alle sich dem christlichen Glauben Zugetane verzehren kleine Brotstücken, denen zuvor ein katholischer Geistlicher eingeredet hat, in aller Tatsächlichkeit das Fleisch Christi zu sein.
So ißt die Grundlage, um überhaupt von Kannibalismus reden zu können, wir wiederholen uns: menschliches Fleisch und Blut. Und nicht etwa ranzige Margarinereste. Denn im logischen Umkehrschluß behaupten Sie mit Ihrem Kannibalismus-Margarine-zu-Schnaps-Vergleich nichts anderes, als daß Ihr verstorbener Mann Joseph zu Lebzeiten aus nichts anderem bestanden habe, als aus Margarine, dessen Verfallsdatum schon lange hinüber war. Und so erklärte Ihnen Museumschef Beat Wismer konsequenterweise und der Logik folgend am Telefon: «Wir haben die Reste einer zerstörten Fettecke von Beuys destilliert. Wir haben keinen Beuys destilliert.» Oder, um extra für Sie und zu Ihrem besseren Verständnis ein weiteres Beispiel zu bemühen: Angenommen eine Gruppe geistig zart überspannter Pilgerer schickte sich an, gemeinsam das weltberühmte Leichentuch von Turin zu verspeisen, so wäre dieser Vorgang möglicherweise als Gotteslästerung, Reliquienschändung oder ganz schlicht als Sachbeschädigung zu werten, keinesfalls jedoch – und da sind auch wir uns als Nichtjuristen ziemlich sicher – wäre durch den Stofftuchverzehr der Tatbestand des Kannibalismus erfüllt. Und auch dann nicht, wäre das Turiner Leichentuch zuvor destilliert worden, um in den zusätzlichen Genuß eines leichten Parmesangeschmacks zu kommen. Ganz bestimmt nicht.
Hommage à Joseph Beuys
mit dem Titel: «Knäckebrot nach 48 Stunden abends»
Worauf Sie natürlich hinauswollen, daß ist die Gleichsetzung Ihres toten Mannes mit Gott – schon klar. Aber Sie sollten das unseres Erachtens nicht zu laut sagen, denn andernfalls könnte man möglicherweise zu dem Schluß kommen, daß Sie, nun ja, vielleicht ein bißchen verrückt sind. Wir können uns nicht vorstellen, daß Sie das allen Ernstes wollen.
Apropos Gott und Definition: Auf Bazon Brocks Denkerei-Startseite ist ein Foto zu sehen, das auf einer der Denkerei-Fensterscheiben eine Formel nach Friedrich Schlegel präsentiert und die sich mit dem «poetischen Ideal, mit Gott sowie mit einem Term beschäftigt, der im wesentlichen auf der mathematisch unzulässigen Teilung durch Null basiert» auseinandersetzt. Zur Erläuterung heißt es dort begleitend: «Formel für das poetische Ideal nach Friedrich Schlegel • 1/0 steht für ‹unendlich groß›; F=Fantastik, S=Sentimentalität und M=Mimik. Gestaltung: Adler & Schmit, Berlin 2011». Und falls Sie tatsächlich unserer Empfehlung folgen sollten, sich etwas näher mit dieser Formel auseinanderzusetzen, so halten wir den Besuch der Seiten Der mathematische Sinn der Null sowie Stupedia mit dem Artikel Durch 0 teilen ebenfalls für ratsam. Jedenfalls würden Sie sich damit etwas Abwechslung verschaffen, ohne sich zu sehr vom Thema zu entfernen, denn auf der Stupedia-Seite heißt es u.a.: «Physiker sind bekanntermaßen etwas eigen. So ist das ‹Durch Null teilen› in der Physik seit Langem ein beliebter Weg, um das Unendliche zu beschreiben. Der den Physikern feindlich gesinnte Stamm der Mathematiker verklagte somit die Physiker und forderte ein striktes Verbot des ‹durch Null teilens›. Derzeit ist ein Ergebnis der im Geheimen verlaufenden Verhandlungen noch nicht abzusehen.»
Abschließend zitieren wir abermals aus RP-Online: «Als der Direktor des Museum Kunstpalast, Beat Wismer, vor Monaten bei Johannes Stüttgen anfragte, ob er das Fett für eine alchemistische Aktion hergeben würde, tat er dies. Zu den Künstlern, die im Verlaufe einer Performance die Reste zu Schnaps destillieren und in ein Glas mit Etikett füllen wollten, hatte er Vertrauen gefasst. ‹Die Umwandlung in einen anderen, befreiteren Aggregatzustand stand jetzt in Aussicht›, sagt Stüttgen und nennt den Vorgang einen ‹Fingerzeig des Himmels›. Er würde sich freuen, wenn die Idee der sozialen Plastik von Beuys durch eine solche Aktion wieder zum Tragen käme. Etwas schon einmal Zerstörtes, das er aus einem Putzeimer in der Akademie geborgen hatte, sagt Stüttgen, würde aus seinem ‹würdelosen Zustand befreit und macht mit Blick auf Beuys Sinn›.»
Hommage à Joseph Beuys
mit dem Titel: «Knäckebrot nach 48 Stunden nachts»
Well, sicherheitshalber geben wir Ihnen noch diesen Link zur STIFTUNG |7|0|0|0 EICHEN an die Hand. Dort erfahren Sie alles über eine ganz bestimmte Joseph-Beuys-Performance während dieser Ihr ehemaliger Göttergatte eine massivgoldene Replik der Zarenkrone Iwans des Schrecklichen öffentlich einschmolz und in einen Friedenshasen umwandelte. Wir zitieren: «Beuys hatte die Grundprinzipien seiner ‹Theorie der PLASTIK›, bezogen auf die drei Aspekte ‹Chaos – Bewegung – Form› (die schon bei Paracelsus als ‹sulphur – mercurius – sal› auftreten), diesmal nicht am Fett, sondern am Gold vorgeführt; herausgekommen war der Hase, das Tier, das er Zeit seiner Aktionen immer wieder als Zeichen der Liebesverbindung von Himmel und Erde, der Beweglichkeit und des Friedens, sowie des Zusammenhangs von Ost und West (EURASIA) eingesetzt hatte. Und aus dem noch restlichen Gold goß er eine kleine Sonnenkugel.»
Und mit Bezug auch auf Hochprozentiges wird Joseph Beuys wie folgt zitiert: «Es kommt alles auf den Wärmecharakter im Denken an. Das ist die neue Qualität des Willens.»
Mit Rechtsanwalt Prof. Dr. Peter Raue haben Sie einen Top-Mann zur Wahrung Ihrer rechtlichen Interessen beauftragt – und das ist sehr gut so. Schließlich ist er nicht nur ein erstklassiger Jurist, er bringt dank seines ausgeprägten Kunstsachverstandes zudem jenes zwingend notwendige Wissen mit, daß neben der Erörterung formaler juristischer Fragestellungen auch dabei behilflich sein wird, einen Weg zu finden, den künstlerischen Intentionen und dem Werk Ihres Mannes nach allen Richtungen hin gerecht zu werden.
Sehr verehrte Eva Beuys, es liegt uns fern, Sie abzukanzeln oder uns über Sie lustig zu machen. Es ist nur so, daß, wenn Sie so weitermachen, niemand mehr etwas mit Ihnen und dem Werk Ihres Mannes zu tun haben wollen wird. Oder heißt es «… wird zu tun haben wollen?» Oder gar: «… zu tun haben wird wollen?» Sie sind doch Lehrerin, helfen Sie uns bitte!
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Ihre Meerschweinchenreportredaktion
***UPDATE – 1. August 2014***
Wie das Fakten-Magazin Focus berichtet, wurde vor wenigen Stunden zwischen beiden Parteien eine außergerichtliche Einigung erzielt: «Beide Seiten vereinbarten eine Änderung der Angaben auf dem Etikett der Schnapsflasche: Statt ‹Joseph Beuys, Reste einer staatlich zerstörten Fettecke› soll hier nun stehen: ‹Geist. Reste der zerstörten Fettecke von Joseph Beuys (1982, Raum 3, Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Edition 1-16, Korpys/Löffler/Schmal 2014, 50 % Vol)›.» Na bitte, es geht doch!
***
Kommentarfunktion auf Bitten von Greenpeace deaktiviert.
***
Fotos von Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge störeredly
Der Düsseldorfer Galerist Bogislav von Wentzel präsentierte auch auf der Art|Basel im Jahre 1990 beeindruckende Arbeiten des Künstlers Walter Stöhrer.
Walter Stöhrer im Mannheimer Kunstverein (1981)
Ganz zu Beginn seines beruflichen Werdeganges, also noch zu Schulzeiten, machte sich unser späterer Redaktionsfotograf Gedanken über das «lästige hin und her mit dem Schafstellen» und wie man diesen Vorgang «in seiner Komplexität reduzieren oder am besten gleich beseitigen» könne. Bei der Entwicklung seiner These, daß man bei der Aufnahme auf das genaue Schafstellen verzichten könne, weil sich dies «später im Fotolabor am Vergrößerungsgerät bequem nachholen ließe», war ihm eben jene Beobachtung im Fotolabor, wonach dort das bereits entwickelte Negativ in der Vergrößerungsbühne auf das Fotopapier «ja auch schaf gestellt wird», behilflich.
In dieser glücklicherweise nur sehr kurzen Schaffensperiode, in dem unser Mann fürs grobe Korn sein «Prinzip der vereinfachten Fokussierung» leidenschaftlich zur Anwendung brachte, entstand im Jahre 1981 auch das vorstehend abgebildete Portrait des Künstlers Walter Stöhrer anläßlich einer Ausstellung mit seinen Werken im Mannheimer Kunstverein.
Ein Blick in die Vita Walter Stöhrers zeigt, daß er 1961 seine erste Ausstellung in der Mainzer Galerie Baier hatte. Die Überschrift der Kritik zu dieser Ausstellung lautete «Stöhrer mit Störungen». 1984 wurde er dann auch von Adrien Maeght ausgestellt.
***
Kommentarfunktion auf Bitten von Greenpeace deaktiviert.
***
Erik Spiekermann photographed by Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge all photographs signaturedly
The Norwegian designer Jørgen Brynhildsvoll introduces in his magazine «Signatur» a couple of famous typographers including Erik Spiekermann as well.
Erik Spiekermann photographed by Andreas Baier
Jørgen Brynhildsvoll found Andreas Baier’s photo portraits he took from Erik Spiekermann here.
***
Comments disabled.
***
Banana Armada – flashlight painting by Andreas Baier
Having seen the remarkable arte-reportage about the German photographer Martin Schöller recently, it became transparent that former «The New Yorker’s» picture editor-in-chief, Elisabeth Biondi, was responsible for his international breakthrough due to the fact that she assigned him regularly – before anyone else did. You can find some of Martin Schöller’s marvellous work here, here, here, here and here.
Since we live in a time, however, in which people are mostly interested in other people who only show interest in oneself, it should be bright and clear and understood that we have decided using this unique opportunity to only feature our one and only staff-photographer Andreas Baier who used to work for Elisabeth Biondi as well during her time as picture editor-in-chief of the magazine stern in the 1990s.
When the Berlin wall came down Elisabeth Biondi gave Mr Baier a ring and said that East Germany’s major request for bananas was about to drive the whole nation into pure craziness and that whenever the term «craziness» crosses her mind she could not help thinking of him and that he was perfectly adviced to help her out with a somewhat stunning interpretation of this whole strange situation – see result above. She saw the picture, had a smile and gave him the next job.
Like it too? So, you better might consider also taking a full visual bath in his passionate portfolio Just For Fun.
***
Comments disabled.
***
Photography by Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge marbledly
Whoever feels home and save in the international art-scene must have come across the amazingly solid and quite stoned artwork of the Kubach-Wilmsen-Team. It is said that for no one less than Oscar Wilde himself only the daily presence of a brand new copy of Kubach-Wilmsen’s Marble News made his high tea a perfect breakfast. And the German critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki stated that the deepest and most emotional way to read Count Leo Tolstoy’s «War and Peace» is to do it via the edition curated and published by the Kubach-Wilmsen-Team. Can this get any higher? No wonder, that their works of art had been exhibited throughout the world and are part of many important public and private art collections.
Anna Kubach-Wilmsen gives an insight: «Normally, hands hold a book and the eyes are supposed to read it. Stone books, however, are hold by the eyes and read with the hands.» Since fourty years the Kubach-Wilmsen-Team’s œvre is nothing but a solid homage to stones in all types and forms, moreover, for them stones are genesis’ reliquiae.
On August, 14th, 2010 the Fondation Kubach-Wilmsen openend its gates to the public. It was built by the Japanese architect Tadao Andō. It is a museum for stone sculptures at the bottom of «Rotenfels» in Bad Münster am Stein. Here and here you can enjoy some impressive photographs of the museum, taken by Shigeo Ogawa.
The three stone sculptures on the photographs above are part of the art project «KUNSTüberall», which was initiated by Alexander Baier.
***
Comments deactivated.
***
Click to enlarge fascinatingedly
Our staff-photographer Andreas Baier remembers Nicholas DeVore III:
The first time I got in contact with Nicholas DeVore III was when I was collecting the tutorial magazine «fotopraxis» which was published weekly by MarshallCavendish Ltd. These lectures were divided into different sections such as working in a photo studio, how to create a perfect black and white print, a photo-competition between an amateur and a professional and – for me of greater interest: The world of photography. In this drawer world famous photographers were introduced such as Irving Penn, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Arnold Newman, Ansel Adams, Jay Meisel, Yousuf Karsh, Ernst Haas and Nicholas DeVore III as well.
According to the article in «fotopraxis» and contrarily to that what is been written about him in Wikipedia, Nicholas DeVore III’s leap from an Aspen chair lift to retrieve Robert Gilka’s camera which the photo director of National Geographic had accidentially dropped was initially not responsible for Nicholas DeVore III’s assignments he started to realise for National Geographic only a couple of months after that. When Robert Gilka was visiting the photo class Nicholas was also part of it all students were supposed to present their portfolios as well as writing an essay about their future as a professional photographer. Gilka teased them and said that the best of all would face the unique chance to do a test job for National Geographic. And so did Nicholas. He was challenging him with a portfolio about the Galapagos Islands and – maybe much more importantly – he finished his essay with «I want you job!» Nicholas was convinced that this one line at the end of his essay gave him his breakthrough.
When I was studying the careers of famous photographers in «fotopraxis» I was 16 years old and this one line from Nicholas had influenced me very much. From now on I was planning my own career with nothing but the pedal to the metal knowing that doubts about oneself aren’t helpful at all. Nicholas DeVore III’s message was simple and clear: Just go for it and the rest will come!
I am not saying that Nicholas did not leap from an Aspen chair lift to retrieve Robert Gilka’s dropped camera. Since I was allowed to enjoy the luxurious advantage of having spent almost one week with him in Arles during the «Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie» I came to the conclusion that this guy is something very special and so I think it is most likely that he jumped. My parent’s were running an avant-garde art magazine called «Magazin KUNST» and a lot of famous artist were passing my parents’ office, sometimes they stood overnight, so I was already a little bit experienced in dealing with extraordinary characters but Nicholas managed it easily to even stick out of this portfolio of creative minds. Gosh, what was he crazy!
Maybe Ted Conover describes him in his obituary with this little happening best: «As I understand it, the magazine (National Geographic) began using him less following an incident in which he shot a pistol through the ceiling at a fancy party that he was photographing while on assignment». What I will probably never understand is that most of the people are complaining all the time that life is sooo boring and that nothing happens but when fate means good and has decided to be gentle and nice to them; and surprises these whining creatures with an outstanding present called Nicholas DeVore III they are not happy, no, they try to hide and to stay away from it instead. In my eyes he successfully managed to remain child with a constantly growing reservoir of adult’s experiences. I had one great and completely sober week with him, he taught me a lot about business structures, how to attract attention unconventionally, and, and, and …
It is said that Nicholas was 54 when he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday, May 16, 2003. According to Wikipedia he struggled with depression and alcoholism. His soul mate and muse Maria Izabel Bedini Correa de Sa thought and dreamed of him till her untimely death in 2010 from a self-inflicted gun shot wound: the magic power’s effect of having loved the right guy.
***
Comments disabled.
***
When Andreas Baier was asked by the magazine MAX to portray Peter Alexander, Baron von Ustinow (the label he was born with) both came to the conclusion that reenacting parts of his program «An Evening With Peter Ustinov» would be the best way to show what it means to be an actor. The photograph displayed above shows Sir Peter Ustinov imitating one of his aristocratic friends, saying: «He lived in the constant anticipation of being belittled.»
More portraits of Sir Peter Ustinov are to be seen in Andreas’ portfolio «Corporate Photography Means Executives Look Good».
***
Comments disabled.
***
«Two Golden Lions Enjoying Themselves» (1999) –
flashlight painting by Andreas Baier
Click to enlarge lionstrongly
The artist Andreas Baier created inside of the National Arts Club in New York City a flashlight painting of one of its stunning rooms. The two lions are an impressive Chinese sculpture which had been made from just one single piece of wood. Normally, Andreas’ artwork enjoys strictly uniqueness but here, in this case, he made an exception: only four Cibachrome vintage-prints exist – three of them are part of private art collections. One print, however, belongs to the collection of the National Arts Club.
The results of Andreas Baier’s amazing flashlight-painting-technique might look as if his images were digitally manipulated, however, they are not. They are nothing but purely analogously manufactured photographs. Consequently, all of his flashlight-painting-transparencies having passed the E-6-process look precisely the way they look. From time to time the artist releases a digital booklet from which collectors can choose from. «Flashlight Paintings – Volume 9» is out now.
Should you wish to see how this room inside of National Arts Club looks in a more realistic manner, you can do so here.
***
Comments deactivated.
***
When Winston Churchill stepped out of the Canadian Parliament (December 1941) in order to be photographed by Yousuf Karsh he generously said to him: «You’ve got 30 seconds». Karsh took Churchill’s cigar immediately out of his mouth and activated his camera’s aperture.
When Winston Churchill became aware of his sourish face on the picture he was completely pleased: «Excellent. Now, my enemies will fear me more than ever».
When our editorial-photographer Andreas Baier had the opportunity to photograph Bill Gates he remembered what Yousuf Karsh once did to Churchill’s cigar and decided to do something similiar – if necessary. The circumstances were on his side: as the interview with the magazine «stern» was about to end Andreas Baier grabbed his microsoft-mouse and let it dangle in front of Bill Gates’ face, teasing him: «Billy! Mousy, mousy!» He fortunately accepted this unexpected offer – and Andreas’ day was made.
At that time (1991) Andreas Baier did not know Bill Gates’ famous quote: «I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.» May be that’s also the secret behind creating great portraits: to realise them as efficiently as even possible.
The portrait of Bill Gates is part of Andreas’ portfolio «Corporate Photography Means Executives Look Good».
***
Comments deactivated
***
Click to enlarge negotiatedly
Der Künstler Otto-Herbert Hajek war dafür bekannt, auch die Disziplin Verhandlungsgeschick zur Kunstform erhoben zu haben. Wer einmal seine Villa in der Stuttgarter Hasenbergsteige 65 besuchen durfte, dem wurde sofort klar, was darunter zu verstehen war: Teppiche, Türen, Gardinen – alles echte Hajeks, die er als Multiple im Auftrag großer Firmen wie z.B. Vorwerk oder Biffar realisierte. Verglichen mit seinen Großprojekten waren das aber eher kleine Fingerübungen.
Im Bereich Kunst am Bau gelang es ihm beispielsweise, einen Vertrag mit der damals noch existenten Deutschen Bundespost abzuschließen, in dem festgelegt wurde, daß, salopp gesagt, von nun an bis in alle Ewigkeit jeder Bundespostneubau ausschließlich mit seiner Kunst zu bestücken sei, da es sich sinngemäß «um ein Gesamtkunstkonzept handelt, das sich stetig weiterentwickelt und diese Weiterentwicklung nicht durch die Werke anderer Künstler unterbrochen werden darf». Dieser Vertrag wurde erst durch die Umwandlung der Deutschen Bundespost in die Deutsche Post AG unwirksam.
Im Rahmen des «KUNSTüberall»-Projektes der Stadt Salzgitter steht auch eine Skulptur von Otto Herbert Hajek auf der Insel im Salzgittersee:
Hajek-Skulptur auf der Insel im Salzgitter-See
Hajek-Skulptur auf der Insel im Salzgitter-See
In Salzgitter-Thiede steht auch eine Skulptur der leider viel zu früh verstorbenen Hajek-Tochter Katja Ka:
Skulptur von Katja Ka in Salzgitter-Thiede
***
Alle Fotos von Andreas Baier
Kommentarfunktion ist deaktiviert.
***
Im Jahre 1984 wurde eines schönen Tages im Bonner Bundeskanzleramt durch den damaligen Bundeskanzler Dr. Helmut Kohl die Ausstellung «Abstrakte Maler der inneren Emigration» feierlich eröffnet. Trotz gründlicher Vorbereitung platze der Raum aus allen Nähten. Selbst auf der «Zubringertreppe» drängten sich die Besucher.
Organisiert und kuratiert wurde die Ausstellung von Dr. Berthold Roland, dem damaligen Direktor des Mittelrheinischen Landesmuseums Mainz.
Als einer der wenigen damals noch lebenden Künstler und Zeitgenossen wohnte der Künstler Georg Meistermann zusammen mit seiner Frau Edeltrud Meistermann-Seeger den Eröffnungsfeierlichkeiten bei.
Bundeskanzler Dr. Helmut Kohl hielt seine Eröffnungsrede.
Anderer Blickwinkel: Im Vordergrund links und rechts im Anschnitt sind Georg Meistermann und seine Frau Edeltrud Meistermann-Seeger zu sehen.
Noch ein anderer Blickwinkel. Diesmal durch die Linse des Kollegen Camillo Fischer.
Vorbereitungen für die offiziellen Pressebilder.
V.l.n.r.: Dr. Berthold Roland, Frau Menuhin, Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Georg Meistermann, Dr. Helmut Kohl, Frau Edeltrud Meistermann-Seeger.
Sir Yehudi Menuhin, Georg Meistermann, Dr. Helmut Kohl, Frau Edeltrud Meistermann-Seeger
Georg Meistermanns «Soloshow».
Zu den Gästen gehörte ebenfalls François Lachenal, der damals u.a. das Kulturprogramm der Firma Boehringer Ingelheim verantwortlich gestaltete. In frühen Jahren war er während des 2. Weltkrieges Mitglied der Résistance und Gertrude Stein schrieb über ihn: «…that a young member of the Swiss legation in Lyon, François Lachenal, a friend of Tavernier’s, arranged in February 1944 for Stein and Toklas to obtain a Passeport de Protection. This document declared them to be temporary residents in France and therefore entitled to enter Switzerland».
Der damalige Direktor des Mittelrheinischen Landesmuseums sowie Organisator und Kurator dieser Ausstellung Dr. Berthold Roland im Gespräch mit dem Sammler, Kunstmäzen und Schokolandenfabrikanten Dr. Peter Ludwig. Mit der kurzen Erläuterung: «Das ist der Sohn vom Baier» war die erforderliche Atmosphäre sofort hergestellt.
Kunst kennt bekanntlich viele Ausdrucksformen und mit einer dieser Ausdrucksformen befand sich gerade der Künstler Gerhard Hoehme im Gespräch vertieft.
Das damalige Arbeiten mit ausschließlich vorhandenem Licht (available light photography) im 3200ASA-Modus war mit gelegentlichen Überraschungen verbunden: Hier sieht es beispielsweise so aus, als würden die Ausstellungsbesucher über einen Teppich aus geraspelter weißer Schokolade laufen.
Unser Redaktionsfotograf war von der übergeordneten Ernsthaftigkeit, mit der der hier portraitierte Kollege Camillo Fischer bei der Sache war, regelrecht fasziniert. Konrad Adenauer nannte ihn wegen seines Vornamens und seines schelmischen Naturells «Don Camillo».
Im Netz haben wir leider nur sehr wenige Arbeitsproben von Camillo Fischer finden können, aber diese wenigen Bilder sind von hoher Qualität. Bei Amazon ist derzeit eine gebrauchte Ausgabe des Buches «Camillo Fischer – Zum 75 Geburtstag mit einer Würdigung von Klaus Honnef» erhältlich. Wir empfehlen, zuzugreifen!
Das Portrait des damaligen Botschafters der Sowjetunion in der Bundesrepublik Wladimir Semjonowitsch Semjonow (Владимир Семёнович Семёнов) entstand ursprünglich im Mittelrheinischen Landesmuseum Mainz wo vom 15. August bis 16. September 1984 seine Ausstellung «Russische Kunst aus der Sammlung Semjonow» gezeigt wurde. Während der Ausstellung «Abstrakte Maler der Inneren Emigration» traf unser Redaktionsfotograf ihn wieder und bat ihn, das hier abgebildete Portrait von ihm höflicherweise zu signieren – was er auch tat.
Die Sammlung Semjonow umfasst circa 40 Werke russischer Kunst, die vor allem um 1919 entstanden sind. Darunter befindet sich eine Tuschzeichnung von Wassily Kandinsky, von Natalia Gontscharowa vierzehn Lithographien aus dem 1914 entstandenem Zyklus «Der Krieg», eine suprematistische Komposition von Iwan Kljun, sowie Arbeiten von Robert Rafailovich Falk. Wladimir Semjonowitsch Semjonow war nach seiner Pensionierung als Botschafter auch als Berater und Vermittler für den Kunstmäzen Peter Ludwig tätig.
***
Ein paar Monate nach Erstellung dieser Reportage trat unser Redaktionsfotograf eine zweijährige Fotografenlehre an.
The magazine Magazin KUNST was published quarterly by the Alexander Baier Presse in Mainz.
Artist
Joseph Beuys 1921–1986
Title
Magazin KUNST
Medium
Print on paper
Dimensions Image
297 x 209 mm
Collection
Tate / National Galleries of Scotland
Acquisition
ARTIST ROOMS
Acquired jointly with the National Galleries of Scotland through The d’Offay Donation with assistance from the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the Art Fund 2008.
via Tate.
***
Sensitive topic. Therefore comments off.
***
Breakfast at the Sherlock Holmes Café in Baker Street
Click to enlarge holmessweetholmesedly
As William Somerset Maugham once said: «The best way to eat in the UK is to have breakfast three times a day» for our staff-photographer a Full English Breakfast is surely the best way to give his creativity all the goodness and strength he needs for a great and successful day. Honouring this stunning British novelist and short-story writer Andreas Baier decided to find out more about the differences between to eat breakfast and to be breakfast. Consequently, he went a little bit crazy for you:
When in doubt where to have breakfast best then you better go to Soho which is, in such a case, still the best place to be. Here you can choose between traditional Full English Breakfast at the Old Compton Café; a great, pardon, Petit Déjeuner à Maison Bertaux in Greek Street, opposite Café Bohème where your breakfast will come along with real French croissants (from Maison Bertaux), butter, strawberry jam – and a jazz band. Or do you like it more Italian? Go to Bar Italia in Frith Street. If necessary this bar brings you through the whole night as well – and, not to forget, the Britsh band Pulp also wrote a song about it called, of course, Bar Italia. Here you can inform yourself about all restaurants and clubs on Old Compton Street.
A cabby in front of the Old Compton Café uses his Evening Standard Cab as a table to make sure enjoying his traditional Full English Breakfast as flexible as even possible.
When already in Frith Street you should definitely consider checking in at the Hazlitt’s (built 1718) in order to speak to Mrs. Millet. She’s got two large breasts which let you sleep comfortably and an amazingly huge bathtub for you and your holy beloved breakfast. Celebrate it! Make sure you have opened the window so you can watch people working opposite in their first floor offices while you are relaxingly breakfasting…
Well, for the «hardcore fraction» there is also an original 1950s American Diner called Ed’s. But be careful, not only their milkshakes are life threateningly sized.
The Old Compton’s Café offers a 23 hour service. Only between 5:00 and 6:00 am they close the doors and you can watch staff-members cleaning the café.
A group of young people having their third breakfast outside of Old Compton Café.
What most people do not know is that midnight hours make creative minds very productive. Just listen to what this young lady says to his boyfriend-in-future:
«I sent you my love
I sent you my tears
so high up above
without any fears
without any lipsticks
but filled up with hip tricks
so clean and so funny
to beam up the bunny –
a dream and so yummy –
…just reading emotions…
Your leading proportions
are feeding the oceans
of mankind minds.
Part of the alliance:
your eyes, your mouth, your sense
and there is no excuse and there is no defence.
You’ve blinded me with science
and bounded me to the lion’s fence.
For any pence I’ve ever earned
and any trends I’ve never learned
I will buy you a castle build on clouds
until it shouts: ‘bean sprouts…’
You are gorgeous and delicious
like horseback riding fishes
and many other dishes
which make me superstitious
having met you once that day
when rain and sun were on the run,
when, hey, you know it better:
I received your magic letter!
So here I am, it’s my return,
just let’s the fire burn, burn, burn…»
As we just pointed out: The Old Compton Café is always a great place to be. And by the Milkyway: Old Compton’s bean spouts sandwiches are simply the best. Even Queen Mum enjoyed them from time to time. So, just give yourself a kick – and a real good go…
Leaving Soho for a while we now visit Simpson’s-in-the-Strand; a place where ties and jackets must be worn; a place where The Ten Deadly Sins are the ultimate Must To Be Eaten; a place where you will immediately impress your guests coming from the continental side of life with a serious amount of British lifestyle clichés. The Ten Deadly Sins are nutritious in a way that you can easily cancel lunch and diner for the rest of the day. If you examine the price purely you might think to having found out why the ten sins are specified with deadly but if you are willing to recognise the fact that after their consumption you will receive a prime minister’s call who desperately wishes to be visited by you over the weekend, only one correct judgement can be made: the cost for Simpson’s The Ten Deadly Sins are nothing but a bargain.
The Ten Deadly Sins are: baked kidney beans, a lamb’s kidney, baked tomatoes, a cumberland sausage, fried mushrooms, freshly squeezed orange juice, some scrambled eggs, streaky and back bacon, black pudding, toast and marmalade as well as tea from your favourite colony.
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand is one of London’s oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world’s most famous hotels, the Savoy. When the first Michelin Guide to England was published in 1974, no UK restaurant was judged worthy of the maximum three stars, or even two, but Simpson’s was one of nine London restaurants, including Le Gavroche, awarded a star. In 1984 Simpson’s dropped its rule forbidding women from using the panelled street-level dining-room at lunchtime. Ten years later Simpson’s-in-the-Strand started to offer The Ten Deadly Sins.
Leaving Simpson’s In The Strand we suddenly feel being forced walking to Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner «only» to burn down some extra deadly calories. The preacher Orange Fruit Johns’ sermon is about healthy breakfast habits and attitudes – and regularly visited by hundreds of health food junkies and tree-huggers:
He strongly recommends pigeons for breakfast because they are known as seed and fruit eaters. Orange Fruit Johns says: «If we eat pigeons that eat seeds and fruits so we eat seeds and fruits as well.» And he adds: «Seeds and fruits which are so tremendously light and weightless that they can fly through the air by themselves because they have proven to know how to influence pigeons. If you eat pigeons on a daily bases you will also improve you IQ significantly».
Does it work? Will there be human pigeon digesters around? Of course – as this visual proof demonstrates: First the pigeons are getting fed with seeds and then, in a moment of mental diversity, they get caught and eaten on the spot. Can you see how calm and satisfied this group of pigeon eaters look? Of course you can.
Let’s have a closer look at Full English Breakfast’s ingredients to analyse what makes them so successfully travelling around the globe. The cornerstones of it are, without doubt, our one and only baked beans:
Baked beans on a toast are also known as Skinheads On A Raft.
Between a brickfist and a breakfast there are no real differences. Preferably we should say that the one cannot really live without the other. A brickfist is mainly for people who do not want to eat. So, in these cases the brickfist always prepares the way for the breakfast. (Hunter S. Thompson)
Giving vegetably based breakfast cereals such as harmless baked beans nasty names is equal to spreading violence all over our planet. As a result of that even peacefully living baked beans suddenly start to rumble around meaning to destroy everything – even it is their very own base of existence. Our staff-photographer Andreas Baier was very surprised when noticing what happens when ordinary baked beans drive nuts. Consequently, he calls his flashlight painting «Un Ungentlemanly Act». Fortunately, since the year 2005 a new law by British government, best known as «Law of Legal Advice For Proper Breakfast Protection» (LOBP), helps our society to stay away from doing stupid things to things we love or urgently need to survive.
Two slices of Black Pudding on their way to wherever…
Are these two slices of black pudding on the run, ensuring not to accidentally meat a group of uncivilised beaked beans in the dark? This is certainly possible. Are these two slices of black pudding on their way to wherever? This is certainly possible. Most likely, however, is that they are just living and behaving as two normal slices of black pudding, so to speak.
During early morning hours cabbies are hungrily hunting for black pudding which hushes over the street in the background of this very same photograph.
Negotiation between a generously sliced piece of black pudding and a cab driver
Human slices of black pudding are clever enough to know that they cannot hide forever. Here you see a slice of special business black pudding negotiating the fee before handing himself over to his hungry client. A classic win-win-situation.
The Standing Breakfast Sausages
The ultimate strongmaker, however, are breakfast sausages. They know who you are and what you need most: a huge portion of self-confidence. They are as solid as a rock and their flavour will let you look spicy, tasty and good to any boss that might be right about to decide whether to or not to promote you. Our advice: have plenty of them and be kind to pigs.
At Hammersmith-Bridge even spectators only have time for a quick and fluid breakfast: beer. Oxbridgers are traditionally trying to find out which of their two teams will be faster(ly) racing with their boats over the Thames. Do not laugh – it’s a serious business: here careers will be either made or destroyed before they have ever been started.
«Show me the way to the next whisky bar. – Sorry, no can do, sorry, no can do. – But tell me, where will I find V&A’s Jazz Brunch – Certainly can do, certainly can do»:
Jazz Brunch at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Jazz Brunch at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Jazz Brunch at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Jazz music makes policy news more acceptable.
Jazz Brunch at the Victoria & Albert Museum
Without jazz music no one would understand messages coming along with unique visual side-effects.(Understand?) Here in this case love is the message and the message is love unless it says that a minister joins the FF when willing to climbing bittersweetly up the stairs while wanting to make history in an honourable and most meaningful way.
Outside it is still raining; this time cats, dogs and hailstones at Covent Garden. About to catch a cold? Just grab an apple to provide you with a huge portion of vitamin C.
At The Haymarket: «Planet Hollywood» which is owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stalone, Demi Moore, Jackie Chan and Bruce Willis offers you breakfast, lunch and dinner surrounded by requisites that were part in Hollywood and other major movies such as James Bond for example. The entrance to one of several dining rooms is a gangway that appeared in Moonraker.
The victorian way to communicate secretly with neighbors.
At Highgate: the curtain signal «left down, closed, left down» on the second floor means that freshly squeezed labours are being served for breakfast. The message coming from first floor, however, likes to encourage young women with intellectual capabilities to ring the doorbell initially. But the combination of both signal messages means: «Honey, I’m taking the dogs out. I’ll be back soon». Here’s the proof:
A perfect example of what an excentric lifestyle looks like: taking the dogs out in hush puppies.
This also may evoke the question: What does a real labour breakfast look like, and where and when does it take place? The answer: at 4:15 am, close to Smithfield Meat Market where its porters are having their first cigarette plus a mug of tea:
Labour breakfast starts at 4:15 am at Smithfield Meat Market
A generously filled mug of tea is what meat porters keeps alive – and going.
An they have a bun of meat as well.
From time to time Damien Hirst shows up and shares his labour breakfast with the meat porters although the famous artist looks very tired.
The bakery Benjys provides a lot of cafés in Soho with freshly made breads of various kinds. They start to work when all others are still asleep.
Believe it or not: even Pizza Hut delivers its products for breakfast.
Thanks to the magic power of freshly squeezed orange juice: happy in the morning, happy the whole day – the secret smile of Walter Fitty.
Soho Brasserie opposite Old Compton Café
Happy in the morning, happy the whole day – Part II.
Initially installed in the 19th century by Queen Victoria, from former 40 shelters only a dozen made it into today’s time. Shelters are green painted wooden cottages in which cab drivers will be served with their meals, breakfast included.
The author and journalist John McCarthy on his promotion tour.
The author John McCarthy on his tour to promote Some Other Rainbow, a book about a remarkable account of courage, endurance, hope and love: on 17 April 1986 John McCarthy was kidnapped in Beirut. For the next five years he was cut off from everything and everybody he knew and loved, from family, friends, and, perhaps above all, from Jill Morrell, the girl he was going to marry.
For five years, John McCarthy had to endure the deprivation – both physical and psychological – of captivity; the filth and squalor of the cells in which he was kept; the agony of isolation and repeated self-examination; and the pain of ignorance, of not knowing if those he loved even realized he was alive. And there was another problem: his daily breakfast wasn’t exactly the way as expected … Read the whole thing here.
These cab drivers got plenty of time. They are not in a hurry. Not at all. They already read their newspapers – and they will do it again and again. They are happy to live a similar life to the ones of the guys who are testimonials in these frozen-time-Jack-Daniel’s-ads and who made them world-famous. Here they love to wait until their personal buffalo gets shot à la minute and their charcoal grilled sirloin steak will be served in a perfect medium manner.
Great British Breakfast at the Savoy.
On Portobello Road: Fine hardware for a perfectly designed breakfast table. Finally, the probably best reviews on contemporary London breakfasts you will find on London Review of Breakfasts. It’s very informative and delicious, at least it’s very rich.
We were intensively thinking about what this photograph’s link to breakfast could be. Finally, we came to the conclusion that there isn’t any – which makes this image a perfect finisher. And since we think that this great picture could be the fundament of a stunning ad for Pfizer’s Viagra it is a brilliant opener as well. But that’s a complete different story, isn’t it?
***
Some of these photographs were originally printed in the German magazine «GLOBO» in the year 1994. Here, for the first time, they are published to the full providing you with a proper insight into all the days which were those, my friend…
***About the author***
Andreas Baier was born in Garmisch-Partenkirchen which is a small town in bavaria, the homeland of lederhosen – and so it’s only natural that he loves Scotland. For him it was more than clear to combine two of his favourite breakfast subjects in one picture: Can you see how Nessi enjoys swimming in mashed potatoes?
Nessi in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
***
Sensitive topic. Therefore comments off.
***
Hommage à Joseph Beuys
«Stone Newspaper» (1992) by Kubach-Wilmsen-Team
«Stone Book Cardinal» (1986) by Kubach-Wilmsen-Team
«Stone Book Amazonas» (1991) by Kubach-Wilmsen-Team
Nicholas DeVore III et David H. Lyman dans la Camargue pendant les Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie à Arles
Click to enlarge ustinovedly
Click to enlarge microsoftly
Otto Herbert Hajek, Horst Ehmke und Ehefrau Katja Hajek während der Vernissage im Germanischen Nationalmuseum in Nürnberg
Click to enlarge abstractedly
Click to enlarge beuysdly
Prince Edward Theater in Soho
Motorhaubenfrühstück
At the Hazlitt’s in Frith Street Mrs Millet offers you the largest bathtub you probably might have ever seen in a hotel’s bathroom. 
Simpson’s-in-the-Strand
Speaker’s Corner
Un Ungentlemanly Act
Hush hour
Traditional Oxbridge Race
Covent Garden
Hopelessly Tomato In Line
Planet Hollywood
Secret Curtain Signals
Shelter for Cabbies
meerschweinchenreport 
You must be logged in to post a comment.