Independent Collectors
esc
Gute Kunst? Wollen!
Born into a family of textile merchants that spans over four generations and a long tradition of passionate art collecting Thomas Rusche’s passion for collecting art started early, with his first purchase at the age of 14. Over the years that followed, his passion for collecting has grown into a vast accumulation of 17th century Old Masters, contemporary painting, and sculptures.
More than 500 works from the SØR Rusche Collection on are now shown in the exhibition “Gute Kunst! Wollen?” in the 6 000 qm space of AEG in Nürnberg.
The exhibition surrounds the frequently asked question “what makes art good” and “Will a piece of art made today be as relevant for art history in 100 years as old art is for us now?”. Rusche, who has been a collector of the Old Masters for decades only started collecting contemporary pieces 10 years ago, is primarily interested in juxtaposing old and contemporary art from within his collection and therefore raising questions on how our perception of “good art” has evolved in regards to its subject matter and its aesthetic worth. All works selected in the exhibition have been chosen according to the following five criteria: craftsmanship, beauty, Kunstwollen, innovation and discourse.
Curator Dr. Teresa Bischoff developed the exhibition together with Rusche as well as with students from the Akademie der Bildenden Künste Nürnberg with the aim to pose some interesting art historical questions, hoping that by trying to understand the present and its past, one can foresee the future.
The question that I'm constantly asking myself and in a dialogue with others about, is what constitutes greatness in 21st century art?
THOMAS RUSCHE
