German Joys

Destroyed by Cats

Nobody correctly answered the latest Obscure Cultural Trivia Contest, which was to name a work of art by a famous 20th-century artists that was destroyed by cats. So I will!

From Dieter Koepplin, "Fluxus, Bewegung im Sinne von Joseph Beuys", in Joseph Beuys: Plastische Bilder 1947-1970 (Verlag Gerd Hatje, Stuttgart, 1990), p. 25 (my translation):

In his 1963 FLUXUS-Exhibition which was hosted by the van der Grinten brothers, Beuys showed many smaller works whose titles hinted at a cooperative opennness. They were named, for example, Demonstration zur Todesstunde von Yves Klein [Demonstration on the Death-Hour of Yves Klein] (1962; Y. Klein died on 6 June 1962 from heart failure; the rather large-format work by Beuys was, incidentally, later destroyed by cats)....

I am disappointed in you lot. Nut up, poets and thinkers!

What, no Guesses?

I can't believe nobody's even tried to win the latest cultural trivia contest.

Once again, here it is, in all its simplicity: name a work by an extremely famous 20th-century artist that was destroyed by cats.

Yes, there really is one. Come on, people, step up to the plate!

Cultural Trivia Contest: I Can Haz 'Untitled'!

The shortest cultural trivia contest of them all: to win, name a work of art which was destroyed by cats. The one I have in mind is from a prominent 20th century artist.

Cultural Trivia: Name that Thing

A simple question: What is this, and what is its relevance to German letters?

Photos from Berlin

If you like, try guessing where they were taken. Some easy, some hard!

 

Trivia Contest: Identify This!

Quote of the Day/Trivia Contest!

It's time to break out of the stovepipe paradigm and unleash the explosive potential of synergy! Thus, today's post is not only a quote of the day, but also a trivia contest. Two great tastes that taste great together!

Your mission: Tell me who said "Democracy is an exaggeration of statistics."*

To get you in a democracy-bashing mood, the ever-dyspeptic Flaubert once said: "The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois."

Cultural Trivia Contest: Name That Star!

OK, Cultural Trivia fans (you know who you are), here's one for you.

Inspect the photo below (excuse the poor quality). I want you to tell me (1) who is the subject; (2) who created the portrait; and (3) how was the portrait created.

Anyone who guesses without clues gets a free DVD of really interesting stuff from me!

 

Che with a Queen's Brigade

I'm under deadline now and have little time to blog, but here's a quiz for you. Who's this guy?

 
I'd call that a Queen's Brigade.

One for the Oer-Erkenschwickians

Breaking my blog silence to lay something special on you. A globe-spanning, culture-mashing cultural trivia contest that inolves the German city with perhaps the most comical name of them all: Oer-Erkenschwick (g).

Your task is simple. Identify three degrees of separation between the Japanese luxury car maker Lexus and the town of Oer-Erkenschwick, Germany. One of the links goes through America, by the way.

And yes, this is a cultural trivial contest. Parts manufacturer in O-E that delivers for Lexus doesn't count; nor does possible subsidy of O-E arts festival by Lexus parent company, etc. etc. That would be much too easy.

I predict this one will stump even the redoubtable Cohu. Meanwhile, back to the book.