Sigmar Polke: Supermarkets aus dem Zyklus „Wir Kleinbürger!“, 1976
Gouache, Acryl, Trockenstifte, Sprayfarben, Collage auf Papier
Foto: Olaf Pascheit © VG Bild-Kunst

In 1963, along with Gerhard Richter and Konrad Fischer (Konrad Leug as he was also known), Polke founded the painting movement, Capital Realism. The movement championed the pictorial short hand found in advertising, with subject matter often commenting on the consumer driven capitalist mode adopted by western civilization.

This work can easily be said to be a forerunner of the modern graffiti movement. Done in '76 but in the midst of what was started in '63 as Capital Realism I am hard pressed to find an earlier work which is so identifiable with today's graff artist - especially those who have gravitated to gallery acceptance. I supposed one could look to Warhol but ... I don't know for sure.

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