Born in 1957, Michael Clegg and Martin Guttmannoriginally come from Dublin and Jerusalem, respectively. They both ventured to New York, where they crossed paths as students in Joseph Kosuth’s class at the School of Visual Arts. Since 1980, they have been seamlessly collaborating as a dynamic artist duo.
In their diverse body of work encompassing photographs, installations, material collections, interviews, and videos, Clegg & Guttmann boldly challenge and redefine the traditional genre of portraiture. They skillfully craft communication and collaboration models, inviting and reshaping the viewer’s participation.
Since their emergence on the international contemporary art scene in the early 1980s, Clegg & Guttmann have harnessed a visual rhetoric reminiscent of the bourgeois portraits from the Dutch Golden Age. At the same time, they cleverly reference group images that embody the dominant powers of the 20th and 21st centuries. By utilizing the conventions of 17th century Dutch portraiture, Clegg & Guttmann boldly position the subjects in a modern context.
The exhibition at the Konschthal Esch showcases Clegg & Guttmann’s striking portraits, which were originally rejected commissions. The duo follows a distinct protocol in their artistic process, where the subjects commission a portrait from the artists but have the liberty to decline the final result. Despite this, Clegg & Guttmann retain the right to exhibit and publish the work, which remains their property, even if the commissioner rejects it. This strategic reversal also serves as a symbolic commentary on power dynamics within the realm of portraiture.
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