OTTERLO.- The Kröller-Müller Museum has acquired Opposites of White from 2006-2007 by Roni Horn (New York 1955). The artwork consists of massive cast sculptures of black and colourless glass, each 50.8 x Ø 142 cm in size and weighing about two thousand kilos. The acquisition of the work at € 1,340,000 was made possible through funding by the Rembrandt Association (with the help of its Titus Fund, its Van Rijn Fund, its A. Quist-Rütter Fund and its P.H. Soeters Fund for 20th century glass art), the Mondrian Fund and the participants in the BankGiro Lottery.

There are multiple connections between the oeuvre of Roni Horn and artworks in the Kröller-Müller Museum collection. Using minimal art as a guiding principle, Horn has taken an entirely personal and unique path in her work. From the multiple and diverse manifestations that inform her oeuvre, the museum has deliberately chosen a distinctive sculptural work. It is being shown in one of the large passageways in the Quist wing, and is bathed in daylight from three sides. Daylight and contact with the outdoor is essential for experiencing the artwork. Horn says, ‘In daylight, there is a complexity that comes out of these materials that is important. You feel it’. Depending on the time of the day, the changing seasons, the sun and rain, and the wind that blows through the trees, Opposites of White reveals different aspects of itself. This strong relationship with nature and the elements make it a real ‘Kröller-Müller work’.

Opposites of White is a monumental work that represents essential themes in the work of Roni Horn: the fluid and relational nature of identity, working with couples and doubles, the relation of the work to the viewer and the constant changing of light, weather and wind.

The Kröller-Müller Museum sees Roni Horn as a very important artist in the contemporary art world. Until now in the Netherlands her work has only been well represented in Museum De Pont in Tilburg. Opposites of White is a work which represents the more recent oeuvre of Horn and is a more than welcome addition to the public art domain.