The Immediate Touch: German, Austrian, & Swiss Drawings from St. Louis Collections, 1946–2007

This important and evocative exhibition features a variety of drawings created after World War II by three generations of German-speaking artists. Celebrating the public and private collections of St. Louis, the display of more than 100 works represents significant moments in the careers of such key artists as Joseph Beuys, Blinky Palermo, Dieter Roth, Hanne Darboven, Arnulf Rainer, Anselm Kiefer, Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, and Sigmar Polke. Collages, artists’ books and watercolors by Martin Kippenberger, Albert Oehlen, Thomas Schütte, and Rosemarie Trockel are also featured, as well as works by a lesser known but talented group who began working in Munich and Northern Switzerland during the 1980s. Regardless of nationality and style, these drawings demonstrate how the drawn line of the artist is the most immediate and spontaneous rendering of the artist’s initial feelings and conceptions. Included are preparatory sketches for sculptures and painted canvases, private explorations into the aesthetics of the drawn line and highly finished works that are the size and scale of large contemporary paintings. Curated by Francesca Herndon-Consagra, curator of prints, drawings and photographs, “The Immediate Touch: German, Austrian, and Swiss Drawings from St. Louis Collections, 1946–2005” will be on view in the Main Exhibition Galleries. Admission to the exhibition is $6 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, $4 for children 6 to 12, free for children younger than 6 and includes an iPod multimedia tour. The iPod multimedia tour is available to visitors 12 and older. A major credit card is required. Museum hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 am–5:00 pm; Friday, 10:00 am–9:00 pm; closed Monday