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UTZ…George Sluizer movie and Meissen porcelain

Utz is a 1992 dramatic film directed by George Sluizer, produced by John Goldschmidt and starring Brenda Fricker, Peter Riegert and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Mueller-Stahl won the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival.[1]

The film is based on the 1988 novel Utz by Bruce Chatwin, who also co-wrote the screenplay.

The most iconic scenen in this movie is Armin Mueller Stahl destroying his beautiful collection of Meissen porcelain. Yesterday we were in Vienna to chose our new dog and visited the Dorotheum. Not only an auction house but more a very large department store where one can buy and sell all kinds of collectibles. Among these items for sale were some examples of Meissen from the 19th and 18th century. ( ca. euro 15.000). I never realized these pieces were so valuable, but seeing them you can see where many Contemporary artists get there inspiration from. www.dorotheum.com

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There are not many but still some 10 titles to be found on porcelain in the inventory of www.ftn-books.com so please take a look.

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George Grosz ….the artist reporter in the “Interbellum”

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The period between the two World Wars in the 20th century is called the Interbellum. George Grosz lived and worked in those years and reported in print and drawings the daily and night life of the people surrounding him. Brothels, whores, artists, friends….. everybody worth as a subject was drawn or painted by him. These works show daily life on the fringes of society. Rough, sensual and sometimes even ugly, but always fascinating.

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Gallery van Voorst van Beest presented a nice selection of these drawings 2 decades ago and published a beautiful catalogue with it. ( see pictures ), but beside this one there are many more Grosz books to be found at www.ftn-books.com

 

wilfried

 

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Panamarenko – A lesser known book, but maybe the best book on this artist

Panamarenko is one of the artists which i follow with great interest and because of this interest i have collected many titles on this fascinating artist. I know of excellent gallery publications , beautiful Museum editions ( Berlin ao) and many limited editions, but one of the most interesting to me is this edition by Marzona. An early book on Panamarenko but with many detailed description of the “machines ” he invented and produced. It shows the strength of his imagination. Totally original designs by an artists who stayed true to his belief that he had to invent and make his dreams come true.

The Marzona edition is from 1975, and because of this publication date it includes many of the inventions Panamarenko has become famous for:

The mechanism of gravity

Insect flight

The helicopter as a potential winner

U Kontrol III

Polistes

Scotch Gambit

 

available at www.ftn-books.com