A. R. Penck, German, born 1939; Untitled (Self-Portrait), 1981; watercolor on paper; irregular: 15 7/8 x 11 1/2 inches; Lent by Mrs. Barbara Eagleton in memory of her husband, the Honorable Thomas F. Eagleton

SAINT LOUIS.- The Immediate Touch presents more than 120 provocative works of art created after World War II by 39 German-speaking artists. Featuring works by such influential artists as Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Hanne Darboven, Anselm Kiefer, Blinky Palermo, Sigmar Polke, Arnulf Rainer, Gerhard Richter and Dieter Roth, the exhibition includes private explorations into the aesthetics of the drawn line, preparatory sketches for sculptures and highly finished works that are the size and scale of large contemporary paintings.

Selected largely from the Museum's collection and local private collections, these works reveal the foresight of St. Louis collectors. Under the stewardship of a group of perceptive art collectors, directors and curators, St. Louis has become a gathering place for important works by both internationally known artists and artists who until very recently have gone largely unnoticed by the mainstream art market.

Of the 32 living artists featured in the exhibition, 26 were interviewed by Sydney Norton, curatorial assistant in the department of modern and contemporary art and former researcher in the department of prints, drawings and photographs, at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Norton traveled to Germany, Austria and Switzerland to personally speak with these artists, documenting the personal stories behind their works. The Museum has written and produced a catalogue that incorporates this intensive research. The publication will be available in the Saint Louis Art Museum Shop.

Herta Müller, German, born 1955; Untitled (1.12.07), 2007; charcoal, oil paint, and beeswax on paper; 18 7/8 x 21 9/16 inches; Saint Louis Art Museum , Gift of Herta Müller 3:2008.