Fünf Freunde. John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly

The exhibition explores the unique interplay between John Cage (1912-1992), Merce Cunningham (1919-2009), Jasper Johns (*1930), Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), and Cy Twombly (1928-2011) through over 150 artworks, scores, stage props, costumes, photographs, and archival materials. It offers a glimpse into the collaborative spirit of these artist friends, with a particular focus on Cy Twombly's work, a central pillar of the collection at the Museum Brandhorst. This exhibition spans from the 1940s to the late 1970s, a time when the interweaving of art, friendship, and love became a driving force in their creative output.

The formation of this artistic group began with Cage and Cunningham, who maintained both a professional and romantic relationship since the early 1940s. In the spring of 1951, Rauschenberg met Twombly in New York. They later attended the renowned Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where Cunningham and Cage taught. This environment fostered close connections among the four. Cage wrote about the artists, collected their works, and integrated his theories into their creations. Everyday images, sounds, and movements were combined through chance operations to form a conceptual foundation. During their time at Black Mountain College, Twombly and Rauschenberg collaborated on a series of monochrome White Paintings, previously attributed solely to Rauschenberg. After a shared trip to Europe and North Africa in 1952/53, they shared a studio on New York's Fulton Street, where they developed their distinct artistic languages: Rauschenberg through his Combine Paintings and Twombly through his graffiti-like 'scribbles'. In 1954, Jasper Johns joined their circle, and until 1961, Rauschenberg and Johns worked side by side, establishing what would later be recognized as "Painting As Object."

The exhibition also emphasizes the political context and queer aspects of their art. The friendly and artistic relationships among the artists highlight numerous hidden references to non-heteronormative desires within their works. This group broke away from the machismo rhetoric of Abstract Expressionism, with many pieces referencing queer figures from art, music, and literature, such as Frank O'Hara, Hart Crane, and the ancient poet Sappho. Their art served as a coded negotiation of their own sexualities during the repressive McCarthy era. The political backdrop of the Cold War and the increasing technologization of society permeated the creations of all five artists. Rauschenberg had an almost obsessive engagement with American symbols of power; Johns's most famous works are appropriations of the American flag and targets, referencing state interests and the military; Cage explored anarchism through Henry David Thoreau and was captivated by media theoretical concepts like the Global Village. Twombly's seemingly distant references to antiquity in his 1960s paintings often alluded to significant political events, such as the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Notably, both Twombly and Rauschenberg responded to developments in space exploration, with Rauschenberg's 'Stoned Moon Book' created in collaboration with NASA in 1970. In 1968, Twombly created the painting 'Orion III,' which reflects the design of a new nuclear-powered rocket system.