Art in public space
Alexander Calder | Halberdier
» Location: Kurt-Schwitters-Platz (north shore of Lake Maschsee)
The “Around the New City Hall” walking tour leads from Friederikenplatz through Platz der Menschenrechte 1 and Maschpark to the Sprengel Museum Hannover, taking in eleven artistic objects and installations from the years 1960 to 2000. It invites you to explore how art functions in a wide variety of urban settings—in spaces that blend urbanity, representation, and tranquility—in a park and even in a pond. A particular focus is placed on works from the 1960s and early 1970s, explorations and assertions of artistic autonomy by renowned international artists: Henry Moore, Toni Stadler, Berto Lardera, Eugène Dodeigne, and Alexander Calder. A second focus encompasses contemporary art from around the 1990s, installations, spatial explorations, and media art—often conceptually thematic or engaging with the public sphere—by Rainer Kriester, Ludger Gerdes, Floriano Bodini, and Christoph Rust. (All subsequent texts are by Thomas Kaestle)