Schöneberg, Großgörschenstraße, no. 35, rear wing, second floor – this is where Berlin’s first self-help gallery for artists opened in 1964 in a whitewashed factory. A name was easily found: Großgörschen 35. The 15 founders, most of them master scholars at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, had taken on a mammoth challenge. They took turns to put on a new exhibition every month. There was no shared artistic creed. Self-determination, however, was valued highly. Ignoring conventional market strategies and established galleries, Großgörschen 35 granted young artists unprecedented freedom. At the 15th show in summer 1965 it was time to reflect on their achievements with the first group retrospective. The visitors’ book already contained hundreds of signatures, including the names of major artists and cultural decision-makers, a Who’s Who of the West Berlin art scene.
Guest book of Galerie Großgörschen 35
1964 – 65
Paper (lined, handwritten) bound with a green cover
20,5 x 29,5 x 1,5 cm
Gifted by Cornelia Brüninghaus-Knubel and Franz Rudolf Knubel 2014
