With the photographic series '100 Jahre' (100 Years) the German artist Hans-Peter Feldmann tells the story of a whole century, reflected in the faces of different individuals. As a representation of human aging, it also becomes a mirror for the viewer.
The series is one of the artist’s most important works, encapsulating the essence of his art. With warmth and humour, Feldmann’s art challenges the world around us, encouraging us to discover the poetry in the everyday.
Besides ‘100 Years’ Hans-Peter Feldmann is represented in the Louisiana Collection by a considerable number of his early artist books, the so-called ’Bilderhefte’ and by a selection of paintings, where he adds simple and subtle modifications to older paintings.
'100 Years' is a series of 101 black-white photographs portraying members of the artist’s family and social circle, ranging in age from 0 to 100 – from eight-week-old Felina to centenarian Maria Victoria. The portraits are displayed in chronological order alongside a bouquet of freshly cut flowers. Below each photo, the subject’s first name and age are noted. The work is created between 1998 and 2000.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Born in Düsseldorf, Hans-Peter Feldmann (1941-2023) was an influential German conceptual artist, who began his career in the late 1960s. Influenced by Pop art, he sourced his material from everyday life and popular culture. Throughout his life, Feldmann collected images of all kinds – newspaper and magazine clippings, as well as his own photographs – compiling them into a large archive that became the foundation of his artistic practice.
Feldmann has exhibited at the Venice Biennial (2003, 2006), Museo Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (2010) and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York (2011).
More info at Louisiana Channel
In the spring of 2015, Hans-Peter Feldmann visited the museum in connection with the exhibition, which presented a selection of his paintings, which subsequently became part of the museum’s collection. Learn more on the artist, his works and history in this interview at Louisiana Channel.
