"Now on View".

Until 5 October 2025, a new presentation with around 30 fascinating paintings, sculptures, textile objects, installations and video from the 1980s to the present day will be on display: The works of celebrities such as Sylvie Fleury and Andy Warhol as well as of contemporary artists such as Kai Fischer, Claudia Wieser and Heba Y. Amin deal with issues such as the influence of iconic brands on society, the convergence of art and design, the validity of systems of order and measurement, and the development of abstract art.

The 1980s were an exciting time for the development of art and society, which continues to have an impact today. In various groups of themes, the new "Now on View" presentation juxtaposes an artwork from the 1980s with several works from the time since, in order to build bridges to the present day. In this way, the artists and their works enter into a special dialogue with each other.

For example, Andy Warhol (with the exhibited works from 1986) and his "dialogue partners" Sylvie Fleury, Tom Sachs, Ina Weber and Pietro Sanguineti ask how well-known brands or products influence our lives and consumer behaviour. The younger artists often refer to art history in their works, such as the famous "Brillo Boxes" by Andy Warhol. The young Stuttgart artist Kai Fischer, on the other hand, brings together consumer behaviour and the art history of the still life in his works reminiscent of "till receipts". The artwork "After Caravaggio", for example, is an enlarged shopping list of all the ingredients that can be recognised in one of the Italian Baroque painter's famous still lifes. Fischer's humorous treatment of art-historical icons also addresses serious current issues, such as the constant availability of goods in Western consumer societies.

Another thematic focus of the new exhibition – and at the same time an important focal point of the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection – is geometric abstraction and its development since the 1980s. Works by Imi Knoebel, Manfred Mohr, Nathalie Du Pasquier and the newly acquired tapestry by Claudia Wieser illustrate different sources of inspiration and approaches to the tradition of abstract art. Nathalie Du Pasquier, for example, looks at abstraction from two perspectives – design and the visual arts. In the early 1980s, she was a founding member of the famous Milanese design collective Memphis and designed textiles, carpets, furniture and objects. The artist continues her subtle play with unusual colour combinations and geometric shapes and bodies in her paintings, sculptures and installations.

The work "In memoriam Tschu Schi-ki" by Rune Mields from 1980 demonstrates the artistic examination of systems of order and measurement. It is a tribute to a scholar who has received little attention in historical literature: In his maths book published in China in 1303, Tschu Shi-ki referred to an unknown master from the 12th century. He was the discoverer of the triangle. To this day, most applications of the triangle are attributed to Blaise Pascal. The conceptual work "The Ruling" by Sung Tieu from 2024 also calls for a different view of history. The artist deals with "pre-colonial units of measurement" in French Indochina, today's Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, and their displacement by colonial structures.

Artists: Heba Y. Amin, Eva Berendes, Stéphane Dafflon, Nathalie Du Pasquier, Henning Fehr & Philipp Rühr, Kai Fischer, Sylvie Fleury, Gregor Hildebrandt, Imi Knoebel, Dieter Krieg, Susanne Stövhase, Rune Mields, Manfred Mohr, Olivier Mosset, Tom Sachs, Pietro Sanguineti, Sung Tieu, Andy Warhol, Ina Weber, Claudia Wieser

From 1 December 2024, tours of the "Now on View" exhibition will take place once a month. A family tour is available for adults, young people and children. After the tour, there will be the opportunity for children to get creative with painting or handicrafts. More information on the tour, dates and registration can be found at mercedes-benz.com/nowonview .

The Mercedes-Benz Art Collection was founded in 1977 and is today one of the most important European corporate collections with museum quality and an international reputation. The collection includes around 3,000 works by more than 800 artists, including world-famous artists such as Cao Fei, Alicja Kwade, Charlotte Posenenske, Oskar Schlemmer, Franz Erhard Walther and Andy Warhol. The art collection focuses on abstract-constructive pictorial concepts and critical-engaged art, as well as representative works and commissioned works on themes such as automobility, design and construction. It embodies Mercedes-Benz’s broad social commitment to culture and education. With the collection, the company wants to create a recognisable benefit for the common good.

With exhibitions of the artworks within the company and in international museums (e.g. Los Angeles, London, Johannesburg, Bilbao and Tokyo), the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection makes it possible for a broad public who are interested in art to experience the collection. It attaches great importance to the acquisition of young art in order to contribute to a responsible support policy for young artists. Furthermore, it is strongly committed to diversity: the collecting practice of the art collection is consistently aligned with the promotion of international artists and the diversity of cultures, orientations and views.

More information on the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection is available on the internet at mercedes-benz.art .