Berlin, July 2017 – Opening 22 July, the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin will present Lucian Freud: C
loser, Etchings from the UBS Art Collection. Marking the first time that 54 works by the acclaimed artist will be on view in his birth city in Germany, the exhibition features important artworks by Freud from the internationally-renowned UBS Art Collection, including 51 etchings created over the course of 19 years, representing the most fruitful period of the artist’s graphic production. The etchings are complemented by an additional three paintings— one watercolor and two oil paintings.
Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection and curator of the exhibition said: “Contemporary art is an important part of UBS’s heritage as evidenced by our renowned art collection, which spans six decades and offers many treasures and notable pockets of depth, including the works by Lucian Freud that are featured in this exhibition. The etchings – the majority of the artist’s work in this medium – command our close attention to their boldness and delicacy, as well as to the layered dimensions of Freud’s subject matter. UBS is proud to partner with the Martin-Gropius-Bau to share these important pieces from our collection in a city with historical relevance to the artist.”
Born in Berlin in 1922, Lucian Freud is considered one of the most important artists of the last century and the greatest portraitist of his time. In the course of a career spanning seven decades, Freud’s focus was on the human figure. His works are known for their psychological penetration and unsparing realism.
UBS regularly makes loans to museums around the world of individual works from its collection, which is comprised of more than 30,000 artworks, including paintings, photographs, drawings, prints, video art and sculpture, by emerging and established international artists. Lucian Freud: Closer shines a light on a rare body of work originally assembled over the course of thirteen years by Donald B. Marron in his role as Chairman and CEO of Paine Webber, before being integrated into the UBS Art Collection.
A previous version of the exhibition, Louisiana on Paper – Lucian Freud: A Closer Look, was organized by curator Andres Kold and originally debuted at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark in 2015.
Lucian Freud: Closer
Etchings from the UBS Art Collection
Where
Martin-Gropius-Bau
Niederkirchnerstraße 7
10963 Berlin
Dates
22 July – 22 October 2017
Opening Hours
Wednesday to Monday 10:00 – 19:00
Closed on Tuesdays
Special Opening Hours: open on Tuesday 3.10
Catalogue
Lucian Freud. Closer (German/English)
Hatje Cantz
Foreword by Gereon Sievernich. Thomas Oberender
Preface by Mary Rozell
Text(s) by Richard Cork, Anders Kold
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UBS Media contact – Polskin Arts & Communications Counselors
Amy Wentz: +1 212 715 1551 / amy.wentz@finnpartners.com
Natasha Le Bel: +1 212 715 1644 / natasha.lebel@finnpartners.com
Media contact Martin-Gropius-Bau
Christiane Zippel : T +49 30 254 86 – 236 / presse@gropiusbau.de
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Notes to editors:
UBS Art Collection
The UBS Art Collection is widely recognized as one of the largest and most important corporate contemporary art collections in the world. It is made up of approximately 30,000 works of art displayed globally including paintings, photographs, drawings, prints, video art and sculptures by artists from the last 60 years, from emerging talents to some of the most important artists of this time period. The collection is comprised of various individual art collections with unique attributes that have been integrated over time, notably Union Bank of Switzerland, Swiss Bank Corporation and PaineWebber. Not only do these works form an important part of UBS’s identity, they also contribute to a rewarding experience for clients and employees alike in UBS locations. UBS continues to acquire works by emerging to established artists with an international reach, mirroring the company’s growth in key markets such as Latin America and Asia. UBS believes it’s important to share its great works of art with the public and makes regular loans to leading museums around the world.
UBS Art Collection: To Art its Freedom – the first major publication on the UBS Art Collection in nearly a decade – was recently released. The volume, published by Hatje Cantz, features more than 200 color illustrations of works by acknowledged masters such as Cy Twombly, Alighiero Boetti, Mary Heilmann, Ed Ruscha and Christopher Wool, alongside a number of the collection’s recent acquisitions and works by emerging artists. It includes texts by Mary Rozell, Global Head of the UBS Art Collection, as well as noted scholar and curator Dieter Buchhart.
UBS and Contemporary Art
In addition to the UBS Art Collection, UBS has an extensive roster of contemporary art programs that include the firm’s long-term support for the premier international Art Basel shows in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong, for which UBS serves as global Lead Partner; the Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; and a global exhibition tour of “WOMEN: New Portraits,” an exhibition of newly commissioned photographs by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz. These activities are complemented by a number of regional partnerships with fine art institutions including the Fondation Beyeler in Switzerland, Galleria d’Arte Moderna in Milan, the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg and the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. UBS also provides its clients with insight into the contemporary art world through the free art news app UBS Planet Art, collaborations with the Swiss Institute, and the online resource Artsy, as well as through the UBS Art Competence Center and UBS Arts Forum. For more information about UBS’s commitment to contemporary art, visit ubs.com/art.
Exhibition Information
The Martin Gropius-Bau
The Martin-Gropius-Bau (Martin Gropius Building) was built as an arts and crafts museum in 1881 by Martin Gropius and Heino Schmieden in the Renaissance style. The Museum of Prehistory and Early History and the East Asian Art Collection moved into the building after the First World War, while the arts and crafts collection was transferred to the City Palace (Stadtschloss). The building was severely damaged in 1945 during the last weeks of World War II. In 1966 it was classified as a historical monument and reconstructed in 1978.
The Martin-Gropius-Bau has millions of visitors with 10 major exhibitions each year in art, archaeology and cultural history. Since 2001, the facility has been operated by the Berliner Festspiele on behalf of the “Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media”.
Entrance Prices:
Ticket: € 10 – Reduced: € 7
Groups (from 5 persons): € 7 per person
School groups: € 5 per person
Entrance free: up to 16 years of age
Online tickets: www.gropiusbau.de/tickets
Public Guided tour:
Sunday, 1 p.m. (no registration required)
Guided Tours:
Groups: Guided tours in German (60 min.)
Adults: € 100 plus entrance fee € 7 pp.
School class groups: € 75 plus entrance fee € 5 pp.
Admission free: up to 16 years of age
Guided tours in other languages: plus € 10
Guided lunch tours: Wednesdays 1 p.m. 2.8., 6.9., 4.10.2017
Public workshops for families:
So 20.8., 17.9., 15.10.2017, 13 Uhr
Free of charge. Reservations recommended, limited number of participants
Program: www.gropiusbau.de/schuelerprogramm
Information and registration for guided tours:
MuseumsInformation Berlin
Tel. +49 30 2474-9888
museumsinformation@kulturprojekte-berlin.de
www.museumsdienst-berlin.de
Image Caption:
Lucian Freud, The Painter´s Mother, 1982, Radierung, 29,5 x 24,2 cm
© The Lucian Freud Archive/Bridgeman Images
UBS Art Collection
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