EXHIBITIONS

MK's Note as sketched draft: André Thomkins was born in Lucerne and grew up there. From 1952 he lived in Germany. The exhibition at Kunstmuseum Luzern was his most including restrospective with all his different work technics, many in intimate formats, also paintings mainly in form of smaller formats , on paper, with some exceptions of lackskin paintings. The Lucerne venue, the first of an afterwards reduced selection had more than 500 works. On the occasion Hansjörg Mayer, who published many books in close collaboration and focused on several artist who were not only close friends but also were similarly attracted by image, and texts, words, as Dieter Roth, Daniel Spoerry, and Fluxus related events. Due to the complexity and the large amount of works, I proposed to publish besides the collaboration, also as cosponsor of the Mayer book a small arts brochure under the title "Thomkins Journal 1-3”, which would include the full worklist, some additional reproductions and texts as well as giving the visitors the possibility to add themselves at their discretion a specially created artist stamp with a sign and some of the PALINDROME rubber stamps. As unintended effect this exhibition was also named and referred to with different undertitles: “Thomkins Journal 1-3”, or oder nach dem anlässlich der Ausstellung im Hansjörg Mayer Verlag herausgegebenen Buches "André Thomkins. Permanentszene". Alle Werke in diesem umfangreichen Buch waren in der Luzerner Ausstellung und noch viele weitere Werke. Dank Thomkins Familie in Luzern, wurden ganze Werkgruppen erweitert: die Lackskin Bilder, die Palindrome als Strassenschilder aus Email, die Stempelsammlung seiner Palindrome, die die Besucher*innen in das Thomkins Journal stempeln konnte. Weitere Stationen ausser dem Bündner Kunstmuseum Chur waren das Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, und das Nijmeegs Museum Commanderie van St. Jan, Nijmegen, beide mit dem holländischen Untertitel: "Andre Thomkins. Tekeningen, Objekten, Grafiek, Teksten». Kommentar: Chur Einladung Eröffnung 12.5.1978, 20.00h. Es spricht: Martin Kunz, DIrektor Kunstmuseum Luzern Mit dieser Ausstellung in Luzern und Chur wird André Thomkins zum ersten Mal in der Schweiz umfassend vorgestellt. Über 100 Werke kommen aus Privatsammlungen und Museen, über 300 Werke stammen aus dem Fundus von André Thomkins und werden zum Teil erstmals gezeigt.