Collection Werner Nekes
"The other Side of Werner Nekes."
By Frances Terpak, Curator of Special Collections at the Getty Center for the History of Art and the HumanitiesStudying the biography of most notable collectors reveals that their passion for assembling objects began early in their life. Werner Nekes - the internationally acclaimed filmmaker - is no exception. At the age of five his passion for collecting surfaced when one day he accompanied his grandfather to work at the Thyssen steelmill in Duisburg. The precocious child was so fascinated by the different surfaces and colors reflected from the piles of mineral ores surrounding the factory that he went home with his pockets full of samples. Not satisfied with this circumscribed selection, he sought out other varieties until his collection grew to some 50 items. Having attained in two years a sense of accomplishment with this collection, the young Nekes then began to build a collection of fossils that he gathered in the local quarry. The thrill of gathering these natural wonders was heightened by working with his school teacher, who helped the youth study and date the fossils. At the age of 9 Nekes' happy life as a collector was suddenly shattered when his mother - unbenownst to her son - jettisoned both collections. For his mother the items had begun to invade the family's living space. For the youth it was a traumatic experience that he still recalls with emotion. more...
Overview...
 |
