DASMAXIMUM in Traunreut: Farewell to a unique institution

After 14 years of intensive work and a decisive contribution to the art landscape in Germany, the DASMAXIMUM museum in Traunreut is closing. This marks the end of an extraordinary chapter in contemporary art education.

DASMAXIMUM was a deliberate choice in the art world. The museum brought a curatorial principle to Germany that Heiner Friedrich had already pursued with the Dia Art Foundation in the United States: letting the artwork speak for itself without any interpretation. To allow visitors to immerse themselves in the work of artists such as Dan Flavin, Walter De Maria, Andy Warhol, Imi Knoebel, Georg Baselitz, Blinky Palermo, Uwe Lausen, Maria Zerres and John Chamberlain in rooms specially dedicated to them - permanently, in pure daylight. This philosophy characterized the museum from the very beginning and placed it in a row with the great places of art and collections worldwide: from Dia Beacon, New York, the Lightning Field in the vastness of New Mexico, from Naoshima in Japan to the Vertical earth kilometers in Kassel, it was one of those places that gave art an immediate and direct presence. At DASMAXIMUM, art was not an object to be looked at, but became a direct experience in space and time through its physical presence.

After more than a decade of great effectiveness, the foundation is realigning its concept, which goes hand in hand with the closure of the DASMAXIMUM museum in Traunreut. The decision was made in recognition of the special requirements that such a museum needs: spatially, institutionally and in terms of perspective. Heiner Friedrich as the founder and the DASMAXIMUM Foundation would like to expressly thank the town of Traunreut, the circle of friends and sponsors and all those who have made DASMAXIMUM possible and supported it. Special mention must be made of the members of the board of trustees, the board members and the directors and staff, whose commitment went far beyond the usual institutional routines. The founder would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Corinna Thierolf for her work on the Board of Directors and for her decades of inspiring support and friendship.

For art history, DASMAXIMUM remains a milestone that served only one purpose: to enable individuals to directly encounter the presence of art.

DASMAXIMUM,
represented by the Executive Board

Heiner Friedrich,
Donor