Deutsche Bank is showing works by Joseph Beuys and his students in the Sabanci Museum in Istanbul

Frankfurt am Main / Istanbul, On the occasion of the 100th year of Deutsche Bank’s presence in Turkey, Sabanci University Sakip Sabanci Museum (SSM) will host an exhibition entitled “Joseph Beuys and his Students - Works from the Deutsche Bank Collection” from 9 September until 1 November 2009. With the show, curated by Friedhelm Hütte, Global Head of Art, Deutsche Bank, and Turkish art critic Ahu Antmen encompassing more than 150 works on paper from the corporate collection, Deutsche Bank is continuing its successful cooperation with the Sabanci Museum and at the same opening a new chapter of Beuys reception in Turkey. This is the second Beuys exhibition ever to be staged in Istanbul and the first exhibition since the famous artist’s death in 1986 of works on paper by Beuys coupled with a selection of works by his students.

In 2001, calligraphic works from the Sabanci collection were presented very successfully at the Deutsche Guggenheim, Deutsche Bank’s and Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation’s exhibition space in Berlin. Furthermore this exhibition’s venue at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Frankfurt was supported by Deutsche Bank as well. With the exhibition “Blind Date” works from the Deutsche Bank Collection were on view in Istanbul for the first time. Masterpieces of contemporary art from the corporate collection were juxtaposed with historical works on paper from the Sabanci collection. Now the show “Beuys and His Students” is continuing this already well developed link between Deutsche Bank and the Sakip Sabanci Museum.

“To be a teacher is my greatest work of art. The rest is the waste product, a demonstration,” Joseph Beuys said in an interview in 1969. This remark shows how important teaching was for Beuys and the impact it had on his idea of what he termed “the extended concept of art.” From 1961 until his spectacular dismissal from the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 1961, Beuys taught over 300 students at the Academy. By juxtaposing works by the professor with works of his most important students, the exhibition documents Beuys’ lasting influence on German art since the 1960s. The Sabanci Museum will be showing drawings, photographs, and prints by Peter Angermann, Lothar Baumgarten, Walter Dahn, Felix Droese, Imi Giese, Jörg Immendorff, Anselm Kiefer, Imi Knoebel, Inge Mahn, Ulrich Meister, Meuser, Blinky Palermo, Reiner Ruthenbeck, Katharina Sieverding, and Norbert Tadeusz. The wide variety of artistic approaches demonstrates the special relationship the charismatic teacher had with his students. Independently of his own artistic pursuits, he saw himself as an educator and encouraged his students to take their own paths.

Deutsche Bank has collected art for some 30 years under the motto “Art works” and today has the most significant collection of works on paper worldwide. The bank’s collecting activities have been geared to contemporary international art as well as works by current Turkish artists such as Ayse Erkmen and Inci Eviner, and recently Osman Bozkurt. The focus has been on works on paper, a medium in which innovative ideas and concepts find immediate expression. Artistic creativity produces fresh new perspectives which can change our view of things and thus enable us to come up with unaccustomed solutions. As a result, Deutsche Bank promotes promising young artists and makes art accessible to people at its locations and in exhibitions worldwide or at the Deutsche Guggenheim, the Berlin exhibition space. With its art activities, Deutsche Bank makes a sustained contribution to the development of our global society.

Art builds. Art questions. Art transcends borders. Art works.

Please find more information on Deutsche Bank’s art activities at: http://www.db-artmag.com/ and www.db.com/csr

About Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank is a leading global investment bank with a strong and profitable private clients franchise. A leader in Germany and Europe, the bank is continuously growing in North America, Asia and key emerging markets. With 78,896 employees in 72 countries, Deutsche Bank offers unparalleled financial services throughout the world. The bank competes to be the leading global provider of financial solutions for demanding clients creating exceptional value for its shareholders and people.

www.db.com/