Heiner Friedrich, the German art dealer who helped start New York’s Dia Art Foundation, which has funded a wide range of avant-garde projects in the U.S. over the past 40 years, is at it again, having inaugurated a new contemporary art museum, epically titled DASMAXIMUM, in Traunreut, Germany, last week.
According to a report in Süddeutsche Zeitung that Artforum brought to The Observer‘s attention, DASMAXIMUM has been built in a factory owned by Mr. Friedrich’s father, a prominent German businessman. Mr. Friedrich fils has reportedly redecorated the building, which dates back to the 1930’s, with azure tiles. Keeping with Dia’s ultra-minimal aesthetic, there are labels, wall texts, or audio guides Artforum notes.
Also like Dia, DASMAXIMUM will host long-term exhibitions of work by just a small handful of artists. Four German artists (Georg Baselitz, Imi Knoebel, Uwe Lausen,and Maria Zerres) and four American American artists (John Chamberlain, Dan Flavin, Walter de Maria und Andy Warhol) are currently featured.
Dia has been involved with many of DASMAXIMUM’s artists since its founding in 1974, and works by Mr. Knoebel, Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. de Maria, and Mr. Flavin are currently on view at Dia:Beacon, a museum that the foundation runs in Beacon, New York, which is itself housed in a former factory that once belonged to the Nabisco snack company.
