Silberblick [Cross-Eyed]

Black-and-white photograph laser-printed onto board covered in paper, two acrylic Plexiglas holes replacing the eyes and containing two coins. 9 1/8 x 6 5/8 x 1/4 inches; 230 x 160 x 6 mm. Title and artist's name and date printed, edition size stamped, all on the verso.

German artist Hans Haacke's depiction of the unequal exchange rate when West Germany's currency replaced the East German mark on July 1, 1990. East Germans received 1 Deutsche mark for each of their Ostmarks, but only up to a small limit. For the rest of their savings and debts, East Germans received 1 Deutsche mark for every 2 Ostmarks, thus devaluing much of their savings.

In this piece, Haacke (b. 1936) shows a photograph of West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, framed by the colors of the German flag. But his eyes are replaced with a 1 Deutsche mark coin on the left and a 2 Ostmark coin on the right.

Our copy is No. 08 of only 90 copies; the edition was first exhibited in a group show, Berlin März, at the Galerie Wiensowski & Harbord in Berlin in 1990. Illustrated on pages 108-109 in a book on Haacke, Bodenlos (Edition Cantz, 1993), issued on the occasion of the Venice Biennale. We supply the book with purchase of the Haacke piece.

OCLC shows no institutional holdings. No other copies in commerce (September 2021).

A whimsical example of Haacke's increasingly political art work. SCARCE.

CONDITION: Fine.