A new beginning, transformation, revolution: society underwent major changes in the 1960s, and so did art. It moved into a radically new direction. The works that were created in the environment of ZERO or Op Art invited the public to participate. Fluxus and happenings attracted the public’s attention through spectacular and provocative actions; they did not confine themselves to the space of the White Cube, but challenged its limits, and called for new ways of thinking and acting beyond the aesthetic experience.

The catalog presents the Von der Heydt-Museum’s entire collection of 1960s and 1970s art for the first time, revealing the institution’s collecting and exhibition activities. Owing to its courageous acquisitions, it laid the foundation early on for a significant art collection that was continuously expanded in subsequent years through additional purchases and donations. In this context, the catalog also addresses the question of how to develop a modern museum that engages with social and political issues. This question was debated in Wuppertal at the time, and it is as relevant today as it was then.

Including works by
Joseph Beuys, Christo, Lucio Fontana, Jasper Johns, Donald Judd, Roy Lichtenstein, Nam June Paik, Otto Piene, Gerhard Richter, James Rosenquist, Dieter Roth, Jesús Rafael Soto, Jean Tinguely, Cy Twombly, Wolf Vostell, Andy Warhol und vielen mehr and many others