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Biography |
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1948 |
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Born in Vienna, Austria |
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1965 - 1969 |
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Studied at the Höheren Graphischen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, Vienna |
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1971 |
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Awarded the Kardinal König Prize, the Masterclass prize (Meisterschulpreis) of the University of Visual Art, Vienna, and the Theodor-Körner prize |
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1969 - 1973 |
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Studied painting at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna |
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1977 |
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Seven month stay in the USA |
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2009 |
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Helnwein is based in Ireland and Los Angeles |
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He has worked as a painter, draftsman, photographer, muralist, sculptor, |
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His early work consists mainly of hyper-realistic watercolors, depicting wounded children, as well as performances - often with children - in public spaces. Helnwein is a conceptual artist, concerned primarily with psychological and sociological anxiety, historical issues and political topics. As a result of this, his work is often considered provocative and controversial. |
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Viennese-born Helnwein is part of a tradition going back to the 18th century, to which Messerschmidt's grimacing sculptures belong. One sees, too, the common ground of his works with those of Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler, two other Viennese, who display their own bodies in the frame of reference of injury, pain, and death. One can also see this fascination for body language goes back to the expressive gesture in the work of Egon Schiele. |
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Helnwein’s subject matter involves the complexities of the human condition. His disturbing yet provocative images of physically and emotionally wounded children have been seen as metaphors for larger global issues. He portrays the innocence of adolescence against the backdrop of historical events like the Holocaust to highlight the fragility of humanity in an unstable world. |
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Exhibitions |
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2010 |
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Crocker Art Museum Sacramento, CA (solo) |
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2009 |
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One man show, Friedman Benda Gallery, New York, NY (solo) |
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2009 |
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The Disasters of War II. Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo) |
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2009 |
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Central European House of Photography, Slovakia, Österreichisches Kulturforum, Bratislava (solo) |
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2009 |
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Body and Language: Contemporary Photography from the Albertina Collection. Albertina Museum, Vienna, Austria |
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2008 |
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Angels Sleeping. one-man show, Galerie, Rudolfinum, Prague (solo) |
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2008 |
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Prints. Greyfriars Municipial Art Gallery, Waterford City, Ireland (solo) |
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2008 |
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Kunst nach 1970. Albertina Museum Vienna, Austria |
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2008 |
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Lichtspuren. Lentos Museum of Modern Art Linz, Austria |
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2007 |
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Rembrandt to Thiebaud: a Decade of Collecting Works on Paper. |
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2007 |
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Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, CA |
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2007 |
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Photographic Bogota. International Biennial of Photography, |
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2007 |
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Fotomuseo, The National Museum of Photography, Bogota, Colombia |
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2007 |
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Passion for Art - 35 Jahre Essl Museum, Essl Museum, Kunst der Gegenwart, Klosterneuburg, Vienna, Austria |
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2007 |
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Concept: Photography- Dialogue & Attitudes. From the Traditional |
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2007 |
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Forms of Photography to Auteur Photography. Ludwig Museum |
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2007 |
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Budapest, Museum of Contemporary Art, Budapest, Hungary |
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2007 |
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The Disasters of War. In memory of Francisco de Goya. Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo) |
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2007 |
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Angels Sleeping. Waterford Greyfriars Municipial Art Gallery, Waterford Fringe Festival, Waterford, Ireland (solo) |
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2007 |
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Once upon a Time Walt Disney: Disney recycled by Contemporary Art. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Canada |
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2007 |
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Body Anxious. Cressman Center Gallery, The University of Louisville - Department of Fine Arts, Louisville, KN |
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2007 |
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Die Kunst der Verführung, von Schiele bis Warhol. Sammlung Infeld, Minoriten Kloster Tulln, Austria |
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2007 |
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Life as a Legend. The Dayton Art Institute, Dayton, OH |
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2007 |
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The Big Store. Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin, Ireland |
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2007 |
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Where is Mummy? Städtische Galerie Theodor von Hörmann, Imst, Tirol, Austria |
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2007 |
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Memory XS. Eine Ausstellungsinstallation über Wolfgang Bauer, MAK Ausstellungshalle, Vienna, Austria |
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2006 |
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Face it. Lentos Museum of Modern Art, Linz, Germany (solo) |
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2006 |
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Los Caprichos. Modernism Gallery, San Francisco, CA (solo) |
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2006 |
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Fenton Gallery, Cork, Ireland (solo) |
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2006 |
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Galerie Brockstedt Berlin, Germany (solo) |
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2006 |
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Il était une fois Walt Disney, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais Paris und Museum of Modern Art Montreal |
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2006 |
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Radar, Lentos Museum, Linz (solo) |
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2006 |
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The Logan Collection, Denver Art Museum for Modern and Contemporary |
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2006 |
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FotoFest 2006, Houston; Mackey Gallery, Houston |
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2005 |
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Helnwein-retrospective at the National Chinese Museum for the Arts and in the Forbidden City, Beijing |
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2005 |
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Phantasmagoria, after Lewis Caroll (film and art project with M. Manson) |
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2005 |
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Beautiful Children, Schloss Oberhausen and the Wilhelm Busch Museum, Hannover (solo) |
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2005 |
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Superstars, Kunsthalle Wien und Kunstforum Wien, Vienna (solo) |
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2004 |
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Crawford Municipal Gallery, Cork, Ireland (one man show) |
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2004 |
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Selektion - Ninth of November Night, Cork, Ireland (installation) |
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2004 |
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Helnwein - The Child, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (one man show) |
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2003 |
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Meisterwerke der Fotografie: Face to Face, Galerie der Stadt Stuttgart |
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2003 |
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Modern Sleep 2003, L.A. Art Show 2003, Santa Monica |
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2003 |
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Paradise Burning, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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2003 |
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Meisterwerke der Fotografie: Face to Face, Galerie der Stadt Stuttgart |
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2003 |
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Ninth November Night, Museum of Tolerance, Los Angeles (Film Premiere) |
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2003 |
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Exhibition and performance (with Marylin Manson) Volksbühne, Berlin |
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2003 |
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Kortárs Mûvészeti Múzeum, Az Essl Gyûjtemény, "Human Stories", Ludwig Múzeum Budapest |
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2002 |
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'Downtown (The American paintings II), Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (one man show) |
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2000 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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2000 |
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Robert Sandelson, London (solo) |
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1998 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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1997 |
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Ludwig Museum in the State Russian Museum St. Petersburg (solo) |
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1997 |
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Ludwig Museum in the State Russian Museum St. Petersburg (solo) |
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1997 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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1997 |
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Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art Turku, Finland (solo) |
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1997 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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1996 |
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Kulturbrauerei, Berlin |
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1996 |
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Petersburg Museum Otaru, Japan |
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1996 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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1995 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco (solo) |
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1994 |
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Städtiche Museum Schleswig, Germany |
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1994 |
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Centre Int'l d'Art Contemporain de Montréal Montréal, Quebec |
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1994 |
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Galerie KK, Essen (solo) |
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1993 |
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Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn |
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1993 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco |
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1992 |
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Modernism Gallery, San Francisco |
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1992 |
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Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren |
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1992 |
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Museum Kaiserslautern und Kunstmuseum, Thun |
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1992 |
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Stadtmuseum Munich |
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1991 |
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Gallery Koppelmann, Cologne |
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1990 |
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Musée de l'Elysée, Lausanne |
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1990 |
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Kunstverein Ludwigsburg |
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1989 |
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Folkwang Museum, Essen |
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1988 |
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Museum Ludwig, Cologne |
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1987 |
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Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren |
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1987 |
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Musée d'Art Moderne Strasbourg |
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1986 |
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Freie Volksbühne, Berlin |
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1986 |
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Freie Volksbühne, Berlin |
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1986 |
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Mittelrhein Museum, Koblenz |
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1985 |
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Vienna Albertina, Vienna |
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1985 |
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Art 16/85 Basel |
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1983 |
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Kunstmarkt Cologne |
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1983 |
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Stadtmuseum Munich |
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1982 |
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Art 13/82 Basel |
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1979 |
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Vienna Albertina, Vienna |
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