Grünes Gewölbe: Blickwechsel Rebecca Horn

Switching Views

Rebecca Horn and the Hat Aigrette from the Agate Garniture

It is difficult to think of a place that would be better suited to presenting Rebecca Horn’s (b. 1944) “Silver Crane” than Dresden’s treasury at the Grünes Gewölbe, where the precious collection objects of the Saxon court continue to amaze visitors. With its slowly unfolding circle of feathers which then disappear again, “Silver Crane” is a contemporary artwork performing a mysterious ritual in its display of splendour.

Exhibition Site Residenzschloss

DATES 03/11/2021—16/05/2022

Werke aus der Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann (6): Rebecca Horn, Silver Crane

The fact that the crane feathers are mounted on aluminium rods and are moved by precise mechanical action does not detract from the work’s poetic effect. This is characteristic of Horn’s kinetic sculptures, whose mechanical nature always remains visible.

Ausstellungsansicht mit Blick auf eine Vitrine — **Ausstellungsansicht**

eine Wand mit einem Ausstellungsobjekt — **Ausstellungsansicht**

In the Sponsel room at the Neues Grünes Gewölbe, the work is juxtaposed with a historical hat ornament from the treasury of Augustus the Strong, which very similarly revolves around the feather as a symbol of embellishment and elegance. In its upward projection, the piece of jewellery from the Baroque period, featuring exquisitely arranged natural feathers and contrasting feathers in gold and diamonds, is both exceptionally delicate and decorative. In ceremonies, it was the prerogative of the ruler to keep his hat on, and the precious hat ornament in a sense replaced the crown. This is expressive of a phenomenon that speaks equally through both works: the aesthetic self-presentation that is inherent in nearly all forms of life—from the courtship dances of birds that so clearly come to mind here to the blossoming of plants to the precious objects produced by human cultures. What seems at first glance to be an expression of pure beauty, an end in itself, becomes upon re-examination inseparable from forms of representation for the purpose of demonstrating power.

**Hutaigrette der Achatgarnitur mit historischen Reiherfedern aus dem 19. Jahrhundert, Johann Melchior Dinglinger Dresden, vor 1719**

A goal for the donated works of the Sammlung Hoffmann is to have them enter a dialogue with objects from the various museums of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, thereby opening up different perspectives and levels of meaning for both the contemporary and the historical exhibits.

To the Schenkung Sammlung Hoffmann

Further Exhibitions