Cultural disruption: “Königsklasse IV” Pop-Up museum continues Michael Keller’s “new spaces for art” initiative
Munich, May 2018 – The temporary exhibition “Königsklasse IV” opens at Herrenchiemsee Palace on May 19, 2018, showing works by Wolfgang Laib, Andy Warhol, Dan Flavin, Arnulf Rainer and Jean-Michel Basquiat, to name a few. For Michael Keller, one of the initiators, the “Königsklasse – new spaces for art” project addresses a genuine concern: He wants to bring art to unusual locations in order to change how society accesses and experiences it.
Königsklasse in its fourth year
For the fourth year, Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen is showing a wide range of work from the second half of the 20thcentury and contemporary art at Herrenchiemsee Palace. The exhibition, titled “Königsklasse IV” will run from May 19 to October 3, 2018. The pop-up exhibition format was launched in 2012, initiated by the International Patrons of the Pinakothek – led by curator Dr. Corinna Thierolf and Michael Keller from Blackspace.
Getting away from the „white cube“
The temporary exhibition is held in the “Unfinished Chambers” in the north wind of the palace, which is normally not open to the public. In contrast to the Baroque opulence of the palace, the large, connected rooms that house the artwork feature unplastered brick walls. A lot of art enthusiasts made the journey to the island for the event. But also many tourists, even though often by coincidence, have visited the exhibition. Keller explained his concept in more detail: “By showing Königsklasse IV in these unfinished rooms, we get away from the ‘white cube’ atmosphere of the museum. We want to bring art to the people in unexpected places, where they’re more open to it.”
Sharing creative ideas
Keller continues his support for Königsklasse with the “new spaces for art” initiative. He wants to change how society accesses art overall. “In our rapidly changing world, disruption doesn’t stop short of impacting culture. We need to adopt more creative ways of thinking and create platforms for people to share and cultivate these ideas.” He organized a workshop during Munich Creative Business Week in March with this in mind, welcoming 40 participants from a variety of different disciplines to Herrenchiemsee.
Keller works closely with the Munich Symphony Orchestra and its Managing Artistic Director Annette Josef – to modernize the orchestra while developing new venues and concert formats.