MIAMI—Weighing three tons with wings spanning 17 feet, the patina on “Sprache der Vögel” is as stunning as the stature of Anselm Kiefer’s sculpture. Referencing the German artist’s “recurring themes of material and ideological decay,” the work is the centerpiece of the current exhibition at The Marguiles Collection.
“Sprache der Vogel,” 1989 (lead, steel, wood, oil, plaster, resin and acrylic) by Anselm Kiefer.
The show highlights a wide-range work, spanning modern and contemporary art and many mediums. Several notable series of photographs are on view, among them, recently discovered images of the segregated South by legendary photographer Gordon Parks, photographs by Hank Willis Thomas, and works by South African photographer Sabelo Mlangeni, and German photographers Barbara Probst and Peter Bialobrzeski. Mixed media installations by by Brazilian artist Ernest Neto and Alexandre Arrechea of Cuba are also featured.
The collection’s founder, Martin Z. Marguiles (wearing glasses and blue suit), speaks to a group of visitors during Art Basel Miami Beach.
The Marguiles Collection at the Warehouse opened to the public in 1999 and is one of the big draws for Art Basel Miami Beach attendees who venture to the Wynwood Arts District. Housed in a 45,000 square foot structure, the eclectic collection was assembled over the past 30 years by Martin Z. Marguiles in collaboration with his longtime curator Katherine Hinds.
All photos © Arts Observer
From left, “Punching Bag/Dust (New York),” “Punching Bag/Dust (Los Angeles)” and “Punching Bag/Dust (Havana),” (all blown glass, crushed debris, sandblasted text) by Alexandre Arrechea.
“Untitled (in memory of Harold Joachim),” 1977 (pink, blue, green and yellow fluorescent lights, fixtures) by Dan Flavin.
“Norfolk Eclipse,” 2003 (flint and chalk) by Richard Long.
E o Bicho!,” 2001 (Lycra tulle, polyamide tubes, hooks, tumeric, black pepper, olives) by Ernesto Neto.
Installation view of “Sprache der Vogel,” with “Mine” in background.
Detail of “Mine,” 2007-08 (materials and objects found around the artist’s studios in Germany, Port Dixon and New York) by Simryn Gill.