Sigmar Polke: Early Photographs May 8, 2007

This presentation of approximately 35 photographs made by Sigmar Polke (German, b. 1941) from 1968 to 1974 includes still life compositions of objects that the artist has found in his studio or excerpted from popular culture, as well as multiple exposures and prints developed in a manner that emulates his predilection to layer unrelated subjects and techniques in his painting. Untitled except for the name of the city in which they were made, these photographs demonstrate the range of Polke's early fascination with the photographic medium and his desire to explore its expressive potential. Acquired in 1984, this group of photographs constitutes an important component of the Getty Museum's holdings of work by painters who have turned to the camera.