The Rings of Dieter Roth
The Swiss creator Dieter Roth (1930–1998) was a remarkable dabbler in many things: at one and the same time painter, graphic artist, designer, sculptor, creator of installations, poet, musician, film-maker and organiser of his own exhibitions.
The show presents six models of interchangeable rings, created in Iceland, his adopted homeland since 1957. This incredible series of sculptures for fingers, or ring-sculptures, was based on rather ordinary materials such as gilt brass, iron and coloured plexiglas.
The meeting in 1958 with his fellow countryman, the goldsmith Hans Langenbacher, marked a turning point in his production. A long, fruitful collaboration grew out of this friendship, which would last until the artist’s death, as the abundant correspondence presented at the mudac this summer will testify.