A.R. Penck – Der Begriff Modell (2)

Published by Galerie Michael Werner for A.R. Penck’s 1988 Cologne exhi­bi­tion, Der Begriff Modell (2) (The Concept of Model 2) trans­lates phys­i­cal gesture into a stark, geomet­ric lexicon. This rare first-edition cata­logue — limited to 700 copies — docu­ments the German neo-expressionist’s late-career shift toward schematic sculp­ture and raw charcoal drawings.

Across its slim, staple-bound pages, Penck replaces tradi­tional anatomy with crude, stick-figure ideograms and prim­i­tive totems, posi­tion­ing the artist as a visual cartog­ra­pher of postwar anxiety. Printed in German, the volume features vivid color plates inter­spersed with dense, black-and-white layouts that mirror the frantic energy of the artist’s studio. Now scarce, this copy survives in its orig­i­nal picto­r­ial wrap­pers, preserv­ing a vital, tactile record of a major twen­ti­eth-century figure working at his most conceptual peak.