King

Berlinische Galerie, Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst, Fotografie und Architektur, Berlin, DE

1984

Gülden Artun

The international art scene in West Berlin during the Wall years constitutes one focus of the Berlinische Galerie’s collection. Gülden Artun initially studied German in Ankara, the city of her birth. In 1976 she moved to West Berlin and soon began to study painting at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste (now the University of the Arts). This work was purchased for the Berlinische Galerie in 1984 after a visit to her studio. Like on a playing card, the artist mirrors the king motif along the central axis. The style is expressive. The upper figure has human characteristics and wears a crown but the figure below is a fantasy being. Both are holding playing cards.