STUTTGART .- Kunstmuseum Stuttgart opened 'Non autem memoria', a comprehensive survey of seminal works by Joseph Kosuth, commemorating his 80th birthday year. The exhibition spans an impressive fifty-year history and presents all of Joseph Kosuth's works in the museum's collection.


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Joseph Kosuth is regarded as a pivotal figure in conceptual art, recognized not only for his innovative artworks, but also for his influential writings that have shaped the theoretical framework of the movement. His philosophy is succinctly captured in the title of an early series, Art as Idea as Idea, which encapsulates the radical approach established in the 1960s. Kosuth’s exploration of meaning over aesthetics asserts that “meaning, and not shapes, colors and materials,” is the essence of his artistic practice, with language serving as a primary medium for conveying his ideas.

The exhibition, curated collaboratively by Kosuth and Ulrike Groos, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart Director, derives its title from the Latin phrase meaning “time flies, but memory does not.” Spanning the entirety of the gallery, This presentation allows viewers to engage deeply with Kosuth's influential practice and to trace its evolution from 1965 to the present, featuring an extensive selection of eighteen works that reflect his significant contributions to contemporary art.

Among the notable works in the exhibition is Kosuth’s early neon, One and Eight – A Description, 1965, consisting of eight words in pink neon that form a self-referential description, embodying Ludwig Wittgenstein’s assertion that “what can be said at all can be said clearly.” This theme of language and meaning continues with the exhibition’s latest work, Texts for Nothing (Waiting for-) #3, 2011, which integrates text fragments from Samuel Beckett, highlighting the parallel exploration of meaning within both Kosuth’s and Beckett’s artistic practices.

Kosuth's relationship with Stuttgart is particularly noteworthy; from 1991 to 1997, he served as a professor at the State Academy of Fine Arts, contributing significantly to the local art community. His impact was further underscored through numerous exhibitions and public projects, including the installation Measurement Described (A Dedication), 1994, which features a quote from Hegel on the façade of the city’s train station. The Kunstmuseum Stuttgart has notably the largest collection of Kosuth’s works in Germany, underscoring his deep personal connections to the region.


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