One of the most important artists of our time, Sigmar Polke has devoted much of the past quarter century to works that explore alchemical themes, and this catalogue is the first to focus on that golden thread in his paintings. With his characteristic exuberance, intelligence, and fearlessness, he has drawn upon such diverse sources as the cultures of the Far East and the Pacific Islands, the eighth-century Book of Kells, and the mythical pseudo-science of Hermes Trismegistus. In his 1982 painting Gold Nuggets, Polke went so far as to use highly poisonous paints containing arsenic, and in other works, he has employed precious minerals such as lapis lazuli to evoke both the mysticism and physicality of color. Older paintings here join with brand new ones, including a comprehensive group of large-format compositions painted especially for the exhibition at Kunsthaus Zrich. This group is complemented by other works from recent years, such as the magnificent four-part piece from 1995, Hermes Trismegistos. Overall, the air of an artist’s book infuses the publication due to an intense collaboration between designer Trix Wetter, editor Bice Curiger, and the artist.

Exhibition catalogue published in conjunction with Art Metropole’s 10th Anniversary exhibition held November 17 – December 8, 1984. Designed by AA Bronson. Text by AA Bronson, John Goodwin, Christina Ritchie, and Peggy Gale. Includes an exhibition checklist and an Art Metropole chronology from 1974 – 1984. Indexes works by: Vito Acconci, Vincenzo Agnetti, Shelagh Alexander, Laurie Anderson, Carl Andre, Ant Farm, Eleanor Antin, Ida Applebroog, Shusaka Arakawa, Ryan Arnott, Robert Ashley, David Askevold, Alice Aycock, John Baldessari, Robert Barry, Carole Gallagher, Luciano Bartolini, Lothar Baumgarten, Joseph Beuys, Caroline Tisdall, Dara Birnbaum, Mel Bochner, Alighiero Boetti, Christian Boltanski, Pierre Boogaerts, Jonathan Borofsky, Brad Brace, George Brecht, Hans Breder, Marcel Broodthaers, Stanley Brouwn, David Buchan, Hank Bull, Daniel Buren, Victor Burgin, Michael Buthe, James Lee Byars, Richard C., Miriam Cahn, John Cage, Ulises Carrion, James Casebere, Sarah Charlesworth, Sandro Chia, Giuseppe Chiari, Robert Christo, Collective Chromazone, Heinz Cibulka, Francesco Clemente, James Collins, Claudio Costa, Robert Cumming, Greg Curnoe, Hanne Darboven, Lowel D. Darling, Juan Da Villa, Constance De Jong, Tom Dean, Mario Diacono, Antonio Dias, Jan Dibbets, Martin Disler, Jean Dubuffet, Marcel Duchamp, Mary Beth Edelson, Kit Edwards, Felipe Ehrenberg, Valie Export, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Robert Filliou, A.M. Fine, Hervé Fischer, Joel Fisher, Copp Fletcher, Robert Fones, Ken Friedman, Hamish Fulton, Phillip Galgiani, Eldon Garnet, Gilbert and George, Jochen Gerz, Michael Gibbs, Jon Gibson, Oliver Girling, Randy Gledhill, Tom Graff, Dan Graham, John Greer, Walther Gutman, Hans Haacke, Dieter Hacker, Noel Harding, Keith Haring, Stephen Harris, Matt Harley, Michael Heizer, Gerard Hemsworth, Jan Herman, Geoff Hendricks, Dick Higgins, Susan Hiller, Hans Hollein, Jenny Holzer, Rebecca Horn, Douglas Huebler, Sonja Ivekovic, Jasper Johns, Ray Johnson, Joe Jones, On Kawara, Anselm Kiefer, Kijkhuis, Yves Klein, John Knight, Richard Kostelanetz, Joseph Kosuth, Jannis Kounellis, Les Krims, David Lamelas, Bernard Lassus, Vera Lemecha, Les Levine, Sol LeWitt, Tina Lhotsky, Roy Lichtenstein, Colin Lochhead, Richard Long, Robert Longo, Nino Longobardi, Urs Luthi, George Maciunas, Allan Mackay, David MacWilliam, Paul Maenz, Arnaud Maggs, Liz Magor, John Massey, Hansjorg Mayer, Bruce McLean, Sandra Meigs, Mario Merz, Eric Metcalfe, Phillip Monk, Michael Morris, Muntadas, Ian Murray, Norman Ogue Mustill, Maurizio Nannucci, Opal L. Nations, Bruce Nauman, Linda Neaman, Al Neil, Hermann Nitsch, Barbara Noah, Arlene Golant, Claes Oldenburg, Luigi Ontani, Dennis Oppenheim, Nam June Paik, Giulio Paolini, Andy Patton, Steve Paxton, A.R. Penck, Giuseppe Penone, Bern Porter, Royden Rabinowitch, Marcus Rätz, Steve Reich, Lothar Reiners, James Riddle, David Rosenberg, Martha Rosler, Dieter Rot, Ed Ruscha, Lawerence Weiner, Reiner Ruthenbeck, Jim de Sana, Lucas Samaras, Bernd Schmitz, Carolee Schneemann, Rudolf Schwarzkogler, Kurt Schwitters, Tom Sherman, Chieko Shiomi, Seth Siegelaub, Jack Wendler, Michael Snow, Valerie Solanas, Daniel Spoerri, Klaus Staeck, Ernesto Tatafiore, Paul Thek, Edwin Klein, Vincent Trasov, John Mitchell, Richard Tuttle, Cy Twombly, Ulay, Roland Van Den Berghe, M. Vaughan-James, Ben Vautier, Bernar Venet, Claudio Verna, Wolf Vostell, Martin Walde, Jeff Wall, Duane Lunden, Ian Wallace, Andy Warhol, Robert Watts, George Whiteside, Robert Wiens, Stephan Willats, Emmett Williams, Martha Wilson, Robert Wilson, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Va Wölfl, Peter Wronski, Donna Wyszomierski, Keigo Yammamoto, La Monte Young, and R. Zybert.

New York and Zurich: Peter Blum Edition, 1984. Monographs in German and English on the ten portfolios published by Peter Blum Edition between 1981 and 1984 with the following artists: Enzo Cucchi, Martin Disler, Sandro Chia, A.R. Penck, Rolf Winnewisser, Jonathan Borofsky, Francesco Clemente, John Baldessari and Eric Fischl. Each portfolio is reproduced in full, in black and white. Bice Curiger’s short essays are accompanied in most cases with statements by the artists. Preface by Jean-Christophe Ammann; epilogue by Peter Blum.

Artists: Marina Abramovic, Carmen Almon, Luiz Alphonsus, Ben d’Armagnac, John M. Armleder, Conrad Atkinson, Christian Ludwig Attersee, Alice Aycock, Lewis Baltz, Jack Barth, Jennifer Bartlett, Lynda Benglis, Jaap Berghuis, Mari Boeyen, Michal Bogucki, Christian Boltanski, Hans Brosch, Ian Carr-Harris, Luciano Castelli, Louis Chacallis, Pinchas Cohen-Gan, Paolo Cotani, Groupe Coum, Michael Craig-Martin, Gerrit Dekker, Martin Disler, Goran Djordjevic, Noel Dolla, Ugo Dossi, Juan Downey, Michael Druks, Markus Duik, David Dye, Pablo Echaurren, I.R.G., Bob Evans, Valie Export, Helmut Federle, John C. Fernie, Guy Fihman, Barry Flanagan, Emil Forman, Terry Fox, Hermine Freed, Iole de Fretas, Kazumichi Fujiwara, Marie-Louise de Geer-Bergenstrahle, Andreas Gehr, Wim Gijzen, Marcia Giluly, Gary-John Glaser, Gyula Gulyas, Nigel Hall, Jene Highstein, Naoyoshi Hikosaka, Hans van Hoek, Alain d’Hooghe, Rebecca Horn, Pierre Alain Hubert, Vivien Isnard, Bernard Joubert, Etsutomu Kashihara, Theatre Kassaknak, Pierre Keller, Nancy Kitchel, Wolf Knoebel, Rob van Koningsbruggen, Miloslav Laky, Darcy Lange, Terence-David LaNoue, Kang-So Lee, Barbara et Michael Leisgen, Barbara Linkevitch, Natalia LL Permato, Bernd Lohaus, Jeffrey Lowe, Urs Luthy, Groupe Lyn, Renato Maestri, Tim Mapston, Bill Martin, Gordon Matta-Clark, Anthony McCall, Ronald Michaelson, Samuel Montealegre, Miloslav Mucha, Gregoire Muller, Antonio Muntadas, Tsuneo Nakai, Hitoshi Nomura, Jacques Louis Nyst, Anna Opperman, Bernard Pages, Friederike Pezold, Walter Pfeiffer, Jean-Pierre Pincemin, Howardena D. Pindell, Fabrizio Plessi, Litiana Porter, Ulrike Rosenbach, Martin Rous, Moon-Seup Shim, Alex Silber, Charles Simonds, Alan Sonfist, Keith Sonnier, Judith Stein, John Setzaker, Ben Sveinsson, Kyoji Takubo, Gage Taylor, Olivier Thorme, Francesc Torres, Andre Valensi, Jean-Louis Vila, Hanna Villiger, William Viola, Tetsuya Watanabe, van de Wint, Krzysztof Wodiczko, Troels Worsel, Jan Zavarsky, Michele Zaza