At a time when the Cold War was nearing its peak and Abstraction Expressionism was omnipresent, five friends in New York followed a different path: in close exchange Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, John Cage and Merce Cunningham crossed genres and media and created unique connections between painting, collage, music and dance. This constellation is the topic of „Fünf Freunde. John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly“ at Museum Brandhorst and developed in close collaboration the Museum Ludwig in Cologne. Up until August 17 the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the group’s diverse activities by means of some 180 works, archival materials, music and films. What connected the individual characters was the goal of creating new expressions along the shared themes silence and chance, technology and progress, tradition and radical innovation. While Cage and Cunningham developed their ideas at the legendary Black Mountain College, Rauschenberg and Twombly on a long trip through Northern Africa and Southern Europe developed their signature Combines and allusive strokes. In 1954 Jasper Johns then joined the group with his famous paintings of flags, targets, numbers and words.
Alongside the exhibition Schirmer/Mosel published the eponymous catalogue that provides additional context to the exhibition and extends the insights gained in the exhibition in twelve essays. Daniel Callahan e.g. sheds light on the early collaborative projects of John Cage and Merce Cunningham which was a very fruitful and indeed groundbreaking collaboration that remained a backbone of the five friends’ network. Alex Kitnick in turn takes to the topic of technology and how it informed the exchange and collaboration within the group. A particularly emphatic essay comes from Yilmaz Dziewior who discusses the humor and the seggsual insinuations openly communicated in the group, an openness that in 1950s America was risky but also deliberate and which underscored their shared spirit.
In view of the group’s complex dynamics and interrelations, the catalogue is a highly recommended read even for those who have already visited the exhibition.
