Althea Ruoppo will share insights into Made in Western Germany (1987), a recently acquired machine-knitted wool painting by Rosemarie Trockel. Ruoppo will focus on this visually striking work’s connections to German manufacturing labels during the Cold War. Trockel’s repeated title phrase downplays the nation-state identification and plays into a larger international dialogue around the production and export of goods.

This talk is offered in conjunction with the exhibition Made in Germany? Art and Identity in a Global Nation (September 13, 2024–January 5, 2025).

Led by:
Althea Ruoppo, Ph.D. candidate, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Boston University