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In ihrer ersten Themenausstellung eröffnet die neue Direktion des Museums der Moderne in Salzburg eine Diskussion über eine der zentralen Aufgaben des Museums: die Konstituierung von Geschichte anhand von Artefakten. Dabei richtet sich der Blick auf Kunstwerke, die Geschichte, zeitgeschichtliche Ereignisse und ihr eigenes Involviertsein reflektieren.

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Wie wird Geschichte verfasst? Und welche Legitimation kommt bildenden Künstlern zu, die sich in ihren Arbeiten historischen Themen und zeitgeschichtlichen Ereignissen widmen? "Neuer Krieg - Neue Kunst" ist auf einem Gemälde aus dem Jahr 1974 von Jörg Immendorff und Felix Droese zu lesen. Tatsächlich funktioniert die aktuelle Kunstproduktion in Krisenregionen wie ein Arsenal eines auf den Nachschub von neuer Kunst hungrigen Kunstbetriebes. Das Katalogbuch präsentiert geschichtlich engagierte Kunst in einem größeren historischen Rahmen und hat deren Ursprünge aus dem 16. Jahrhundert bis hin zu zeitgenössischen Spielarten im Blick.

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Art-Histories sets out to broaden our understanding of history by looking at it through artefacts and their histories and works of art and the histories they tell. It takes a broad perspective, looking at art that reflects on history and contemporary events as well as its own involvement. The works examined span the period from the sixteenth century to the present.

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How is history written? Whose mission is it to write it? Which tools are used to examine and evaluate historical events and to disseminate knowledge about them? How objective is current scholarly research, and the historic documents on which it is based? A painting by Jörg Immendorff and Felix Droese from 1974 is entitled ´New War New Art´. Indeed, the recent troubles in crisis regions have inspired and generated a new wave of contemporary art with innovative ways of portraying history. Art / Histories presents art and artists engaged with history in a broad historical framework, including those looking back and those depicting the harsh realities of the present.

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Sabine Breitwieser Since October 2010 she is Chief Curator for Media and Performance Art at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. She is Secretary and Treasurer of CIMAM the International Committee of ICOM (International Council of Museums) for Museums and Collections of Modern Art. From 1988 until 2007 she was the (Founding) Director and Curator of the Generali Foundation in Vienna for which she has built the institution, the program and an important collection published in the volumes Exhibitions 1989-2007 (2008) and in Occupying Space (2003). She has curated numerous projects and edited as many publications on artists.

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