The Kippenberger light box

OBJECT OF THE MONTH MARCH 2025

Most of the objects we feature in this section are small and hidden away in folders or boxes. Our latest find is an exception: a light box by Martin Kippenberger from 1989, whose impressive dimensions of 148 x 127 cm immediately catch the eye. It took two of us to heave it onto the workbench, plug it in, and illuminate it in all its glory.

The light reveals a collage of drawing, photography, and text. The basis is a reproduction of Jeff Koons' work *Stay in Tonight * – which itself is a reproduction of an advertisement for the Italian hazelnut liqueur Frangelico , declared to be art. Together with the aphorism "We don't have problems with the Rolling Stones because we buy their guitars," which winds around the image like a frame, a tension-filled exploration of photography emerges, both as an artistic and a commercial medium.

Kippenberger's work was part of the exhibition "The Medium of Photography Is Entitled to Provoke Thought ," which was shown at the Kunstverein Hamburg from March 23 to May 7, 1989. The show presented works from the FCGundlach Collection by artists who explored the expressive forms of photography. The catalogue raisonné includes works by Günther Förg, Georg Herold, Albert Oehlen, and Sigmar Polke—all names that today belong to the pantheon of contemporary art. Kippenberger himself also contributed the object "I Hold Myself Closed ," which was produced as a limited edition of 22 copies for the exhibition catalogue.