Untitled from the Heavy Burschi series
- Artist: Martin Kippenberger
- Date: 1989
- Medium: Photograph, c-print on 2 sheets of paper
- Dimensions: frame: 2510 × 2090 × 55 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the "Untitled from the Heavy Burschi series" by Martin Kippenberger, a 1989 photograph printed on two sheets of paper. It captures a painting that Kippenberger had his assistant Merlin Carpenter create from images taken from his own exhibition catalogues. The result was a riotous collage of bright colours, two portraits of the artist, the Kellogg’s mascot Tony the Tiger, and words like “big fun”, “süss”, “sexy” and “hey baby!”. Kippenberger felt the work was “just too good, too skilful, and therefore too much kitsch”, so he ordered the originals destroyed, but he photographed them before sending them to a skip for display. Tiny toy‑like figures stuffed with cigarette ends, made by Ulrich Strothjohann, are also visible. The piece is a playful critique of authorship, appropriation and the power dynamics between creator and assistant.
See it in person
Untitled from the Heavy Burschi series is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
