Who knows the beginning and who knows the end I 1976

This print was made by Blinky Palermo in the mid-1970s, likely in Germany, using serigraphy, or silkscreen printing. Its stark geometry in red, black, and white, along with its gnomic title, puts it in conversation with the institutional critique advanced by conceptual artists at the time. The late 1960s and early 70s saw increased questioning of established power structures. Artists in particular began to target the institutions of art. Palermo, like many of his contemporaries, stripped painting down to its most basic elements, questioning the market-driven logic of advanced art and the commodity status of the unique art object. The diptych form, which dates back to early Christian painting, has been completely abstracted, and the apparent disordering of the two panels presents an ironic comment on traditional composition. To better understand this work, you might consider the ways Palermo’s artistic output engaged with the political and economic realities of postwar Germany. Consulting exhibition reviews from the time or Palermo’s own statements can illuminate the contemporary reception of his radical artistic approach.