Clara Mosch

The legendary producer-run gallery Clara Mosch and the artists' group of the same title that gathered around it were founded in Karl-Marx-Stadt (today' s Chemnitz) in 1977 and existed until 1982. The catchy name was an acronym of the contributors' last names: CLA = Carlfriedrich Claus, RA = Thomas Ranft and Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, MO = Michael Morgner, SCH = Gregor-Torsten Schade. As the founders of the first producers' gallery in the GDR and creators of diverse oeuvres, the group' s artists rank among the foremost exponents of avant-garde art in East Germany. The book presents works of art, limited editions, and posters as well as photographs from the Ralf-Rainer Wasse archive in the collections of the Lindenau-Museum in Altenburg. One thematic focus is on Clara Mosch' s land-art happenings and plein-air pieces. The unconventional actions attest to the group' s stated objective of building greater awareness of the ongoing devastation of the local environment. Forty years after the fact, Clara Mosch' s work has lost none of its relevance and urgency.