The Abject Object-Decay and Irreverence in Dieter Roth’s Multiples: Art Talk with Lauren Hanson

Known for his iconoclastic use of nontraditional artistic materials, ranging from chocolate to playing cards to animal excrement, artist Dieter Roth (1930-1998) underscored processes of decomposition in his work. Curatorial fellow Lauren Hanson considers how Roth’s “decay objects” from the 1960s and ’70s harness self-deprecating humor to challenge notions of originality, artistic genius, and the museum as a site of preservation.
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK:
+ Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Shit Hare,” 1975, dirt, straw, hay, and rabbit droppings, pressed into a mold. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb, 2001.50. © Dieter Roth Estate/Hauser & Wirth. hvrd.art/o/173509.
+ Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Pocket Room (Taschenzimmer)," 1969, Banana slice tacked to stamped paper in a plastic box stored within custom made cardboard box. Harvard Art Museums/ Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dorette Hildebrand-Staab, 2020.133. © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. hvrd.art/o/367463.
+ Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Chocolate Lion (Self-Portrait as a Lion) (Schokoladenlöwe, Selbstportrait als Löwe)," 1971, Marbled chocolate. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb, 2001.49. © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. hvrd.art/o/174434.
SPEAKER: Lauren Hanson, Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums.
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The Harvard Art Museums at Home: Art Talks is a series in which curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students offer an up-close look at works from our collections.
All works discussed by Dieter Roth: © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. All works discussed by Joseph Beuys © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Work by Hans Bellmer, © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Work by Bruce Nauman, © Bruce Nauman.
Recorded Tuesday, February 2, 2021. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. Video: Lauren Hanson. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at [e-mail].

[@galinavandam2701]

I am so obsessed with abject art! Thank you for posting this!

[@gainze8627]

uh