Exhibition tip Munich: Dan Flavin in Munich at the Kunstbau on Königsplatz
DAN FLAVIN - Representative of Minimal Art at the Kunstbau of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus München
August 15 – November 30, 2025 - Exhibition: Dan Flavin with "Untitled (For Ksenija)" - Tue–Sun 10 a.m.–6 p.m. / Thu 10 a.m.–8 p.m. - Free admission! - Kunstbau on Königsplatz in Munich (English version, Deutsch, FRANÇAIS)
Munich. Over 30 years ago, in 1994, the Kunstbau of the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus München opened in Munich. The design of the underground exhibition hall, which gave the museum more space for art, was the work of the architectural firm Uwe Kiessler + Partner. With the additional exhibition hall, whose dimensions correspond to the subway station below, the Lenbachhaus gained a new dimension in the presentation of art. For the opening, Dan Flavin (1933–1996) developed one of his last "situations." Flavin described these works as "situations" created for a specific location, focusing on light space and perception. The artist Dan Flavin's work is now being shown again: no other work is as closely connected to the Kunstbau as "Untitled (For Ksenija).
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| Museums in the Munich Art District (Kunstareal = "art area" Munich, photo: Helga Waess Collage Pinakotheken |
The late work confirms Flavin's ongoing artistic exploration of the tension between light art and architecture
In
1994, the Kunstbau of Lenbachhaus Munich was inaugurated. Designed by
the architectural firm Uwe Kiessler + Partner, the subterranean
exhibition hall—mirroring the dimensions of the subway station directly
beneath it—provided the Lenbachhaus with a new spatial dimension for
presenting art.
To mark the opening, Dan Flavin (1933–1996)
created one of his final "situations". Flavin used this term to describe
site-specific works in which the focus lies on spatial light and
perception.
No work is more closely associated with the Kunstbau
than Untitled (For Ksenija). This late piece reaffirms Flavin's ongoing
engagement with the interplay between light art and architecture. By
illuminating the exhibition space, he transforms it into a realm of
experience. Electric light, color, space, and the bodies and senses of
the visitors enter into an inseparable, diffused interaction.
As
a leading figure in Minimal Art—a movement that incorporated
industrially manufactured materials and radically reduced personal
expression—Flavin deliberately distanced himself from the illusionistic
imagery of painting, the gestural expression of Abstract Expressionism,
and the figurative language of Pop Art. His works consistently respond
to their spatial environments, making viewer perception and the
relationship to space integral parts of the work.
After early
explorations in painting, Flavin began working exclusively with
standardized, commercially available fluorescent tubes in the mid-1960s,
using them in varied arrangements as his primary artistic medium. His minimalist pencil drawings served as precise conceptual foundations for these installations.
On
March 8, 1994, the Lenbachhaus received a fax from the Dan Flavin
Studio in New York containing one such minimalist drawing. The sketch
outlines both the conceptual framework and specific technical
instructions for installing the fluorescent lamps
on the Kunstbau's lighting track, documenting the artistic conception
of the piece. Flavin developed these drawings into operable structures,
enabling each realization to function as a distinct, site-specific
model.
Installed along the Kunstbau's four architecturally
defined lighting tracks, the colored fluorescent lamps recede physically
in favor of an experiential space defined entirely by light. This light
not only brings the architecture to life but also profoundly to
perception of visitors: movement, light adaptation, and color perception
become elements of an aesthetic experience that encourages reflection
on space, the body, and perception itself.
Heiner and Philippa
Friedrich donated Untitled (For Ksenija) to the Lenbachhaus in memory of
their parents Erika and Harald Friedrich, as well as Dominique and John
de Menil. The installation is a permanent part of the collection and is
now being shown for the tenth time in accordance with the donors'
wishes.
Further information about the work and its exhibition history can be found in the rotunda of the Kunstbau
Following
the presentation of Dan Flavin’s light installation Untitled (For
Ksenija), a collaborative project featuring sound pieces by students
from Florian Hecker's "Sound and Experiment" program (Bavarian
Excellence Professorship Program – Academy of Fine Arts, Munich) creates
a new sensory environment at Kunstbau from December 2 to 7, 2025.
We
dedicate both presentations to the memory of architect Uwe Kiessler
(1937–2025), whose outstanding contributions have left a lasting impact
on Munich's architecture and cultural landscape.
Curated by Johannes Michael Stanislaus
With the generous support of the Förderverein Lenbachhaus e.V.
Exhibition tip Munich:
Dan Flavin
Untitled (For Ksenija)
- August 15 – November 30, 2025
- Tue–Sun 10 am–6 pm / Thu 10 am–8 pm
- Admission free!
Kunstbau of the Städtische Galerie
Lenbachhaus München
Source: Press release - Lenbachhaus Munich
