On the 1st floor of Kunstpalast Düsseldorf's new collection tour, there is a special room that provides a stage for changing exhibitions. Twice a year, this space is reorganised to focus on different themes and artists from the collection.

SPOT ON: CHRIS REINECKE – ART IS NECCESSARY

In her early years, art meant public action for Chris Reinecke (*1936). At the end of the 1960s, the artist, who studied and still lives in Düsseldorf, invited passers-by into her studio or carried out artistic performances on the street in order to reach as many people as possible. This exhibition shows objects, drawings and photos from this period, some of which are being presented for the first time.

Reinecke and her former husband, the artist Jörg Immendorff (1945-2007), rented a room in Pempelfort in 1968 where they organised exhibitions and events such as creative workshops for adults. Shortly afterwards, they founded the “Büro Olympia” in the city centre, which campaigned against the politically motivated promotion of high-performance sports. The place became a focal point for other political groups such as “Mietersolidarität” (“Tenant Solidarity”), which fought for rent control.

In her 1970 manifesto “Kunst Muss Sein” (“Art Is Necessary”), Reinecke explained her understanding of art as a democratic medium that should be open to all. In 2023, she donated a collection of early works to the Kunstpalast that visualise this way of thinking.

Curator: Gunda Luyken, Head of the Department of Prints and Drawings, Kunstpalast &
Claudia Petersen, Head of Prints and Drawings Study Room, Kunstpalast