The Cool and the Cold. Painting in the USA and the USSR 1960–1990

30 years after the demise of the Soviet Union, the Gropius Bau presents The Cool and the Cold: Painting from the USA and the USSR 1960–1990, an extensive group show that brings together works held by the Ludwig Collection from six international museums.

Peter and Irene Ludwig were among the first collectors to acquire art by American and Soviet artists simultaneously. The exhibition establishes a critical juxtaposition of works from both camps in the East-West conflict, examining how artists responded during the Cold War to the political and aesthetic questions of their time and negotiated ideas of individual and social freedom. The selection features approximately 120 works by Jo Baer, Erik Bulatov, Ivan Čujkov, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Ilja Kabakov, Lee Lozano, Natalja Nesterova, Viktor Pivovarov, Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol, among others.