Hanne Darboven
Hanne Darboven (1941–2009), born in Munich, lived and worked in Hamburg. She transformed time – both abstract and concrete – into a central artistic principle. With a keen sense of rhythm and repetition, shaped by her training as a pianist, she developed a conceptual practice that condensed mathematical calculations, calendar dates, handwritten numbers, and philosophical texts into complex visual systems. Her large-scale installations, composed of framed or bound pages, serve as meticulous records of historical and personal timelines. Through her methodically structured compositions, Darboven created a unique artistic chronicle that merges data visualization with an existential awareness of time.
Hanne Darboven Editions
Tageszettel Arbeitszettel (Day Notes/ Work Notes)
2008/09
ABC-Arbeit (Alpha-Omega)
2007
Opus 43, Bläsertrio "Kinder dieser Welt"
2007
Künstlicher Marmor, Kirche Neuenfelde, Harburg Elbe Nord
1998
Sunrise-Sunset (To: New York)
1996
Geigensolo
1992
Requiem
1992/93
24 Gesänge (24 Chants)
1990
24 Gesänge (24 Chants)
1990
Hommage an meinen Vater
1989
Opus 26
1989/90
Harburg Sand
1988
abc enzyklopädie / 00-99 / heute
1988
für: Walter Mehring
1980
Welttheater '79'
1979
Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben
1979
Kalenderblätter (Calendar sheets)
1979
Tageszettel Arbeitszettel (Day Notes/ Work Notes)
2008/09
From Forty Are Better Than One
Two 8-part leporellos, offset print on 200 g Bilderdruck Paper, 200 x 32 cm (78¾ x 12½ in) each. Edition: 75, signed and numbered.
EUR 900
ABC-Arbeit (Alpha-Omega)
2007
Six plywood scale models on MDF, and 68 pages of notations, xeroxed, in a binder. Size of models:
A 50 x 38 x 6 cm (19¾ x 15 x 2½ in)
B 50 x 62 x 6 cm (19¾ x 24½ x 2½ in)
C 50 x 50 x 6 cm (19¾ x 19¾ x 2½ in)
Edition of 12, each titled and numbered.
For this edition, varying ring binders were used. Hanne Darboven's notations from 1970 are based on date- and time-related calculations, which were transformed into three-dimensional models ("diagrams"). From the original set of 121 models – divided into Series A (60 pieces), B (42 pieces), and C (19 pieces) – only the first (α) and the last (Ω) example of each series were produced in a limited edition.
Opus 43, Bläsertrio "Kinder dieser Welt"
2007
From Wall Works
68 sheets of music, framed, 59.5 x 42 cm (23½ x 16½ in) each, and trumpet, horn, and trombone on white pedestal. Installation dimensions according to the wall. Limited to 15 installations, signed and numbered on last print, plus a certificate giving specific instructions.
Hanne Darboven designed this edition for our group project Wall Works; like all the other wall works from the series, this piece is part of the permanent collection of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
EUR 20,000
Künstlicher Marmor, Kirche Neuenfelde, Harburg Elbe Nord
1998
From Sequences
Three grano lithographs, printed in six colors on Rives rag paper. Each print 50 x 40 cm (19¾ x 15¾ in), each signed and numbered. Edition of 60 + X.
This work, consisting of three grano lithographs, represents a rare and remarkable departure from Hanne Darboven's characteristic black-and-white, grid-like works. Printed in six colors on Rives BFK paper, they feature intricately drawn marble structures discovered in the artist's hometown neighborhood of Harburg. Each lithograph in this edition is titled and labeled accordingly, expanding Hanne Darboven's conceptual approach with an unexpected visual opulence.
Set EUR 1,000
Sunrise-Sunset (To: New York)
1996
Set of 8 laser prints, one with photograph, on logarithmic paper, each print 29.5 x 37.5 cm (11½ x 14¾ in). There are 12 sets of 8 prints each (only 3 illustrated). Edition of 10, signed and numbered.
The twelve 8-piece sets of this edition by Hanne Darboven consist of notations for each month of the year 1984. Each series includes eight sheets: a title page with a mounted color photograph and seven additional sheets with handwritten notations for the first seven days of the corresponding month. The color photographs used are reproductions of historical 19th-century New York postcards. In addition to Hanne Darboven's monogram, there is a handwritten numbering, which, however, is erroneous; only the differing stamped numbering is authoritative.
Set of 8 prints EUR 1,750
Geigensolo
1992
Miniature violin with card, Polis: Burg, Berg, Staat, on lacquered wooden column, 102 x 33 x 33 cm (40 x 13 x 13 in). Edition of 28, signed on score.
Hanne Darboven's oeuvre can be understood as an encyclopedic collection of contemporary culture. Her text-based works and musical scores, developed from "daily calculations" and other pseudo-mathematical systems, reflect central themes from everyday life, politics, art, and culture. She often complements her written notations with found objects as material evidence, as in this edition, where a decorative violin on a pedestal expands the conceptual framework of her analytical approach to cultural structures.
EUR 4,000
Requiem
1992/93
Silkscreen, 76 x 58 cm (30 x 22¾ in). Edition of XX A.P., hand-colored, signed and numbered.
This edition was originally published in 1992 as part of the portfolio Columbus, produced by Edition Domberger. In a later edition, Hanne Darboven also created 20 Roman-numbered Artist's Proofs for Schellmann Art, which were hand-watercolored by the artist.
EUR 1,200
24 Gesänge (24 Chants)
1990
Four-part silkscreen on rag paper, one with collage, and two CDs. Overall size 155 x 532 cm (61 x 210 in). Edition: 33, signed and numbered on print 1.
Hanne Darboven transformed numerical systems into musical compositions based on mathematical scores. Her "cross-sum calculations of the century" served as the structural foundation for notations that she interpreted on the organ or violin. This strictly calculated, non-traditional "mathematical music" unfolds an unexpected aesthetic quality. The four-sheet edition presented here visualizes the melody of these compositions.
Early copies of Hanne Darboven's edition included audio cassettes, which were transferred to CD in 2017 due to technological advancements.
Set EUR 4,000
24 Gesänge (24 Chants)
1990
Two-part silkscreen on rag paper, one collaged, and two CDs. Overall size 155 x 266 cm (61 x 105 in). Edition of 33, signed and numbered on uncollaged print.
Hanne Darboven transformed numerical systems into musical compositions based on mathematical scores. Her "cross-sum calculations of the century" served as the structural foundation for notations that she interpreted on the organ or violin. This meticulously calculated, non-traditional "mathematical music" unfolds an unexpected aesthetic quality. The two-sheet edition presented here visualizes the chord of these compositions.
Early copies of Hanne Darboven's edition included audio cassettes, which were transferred to CD in 2017 due to technological advancements.
EUR 2,400
Hommage an meinen Vater
1989
96 offset lithographs on cardboard; 12 sets of 8 sheets each, out of which on first one an identical b/w photograph is mounted, in cloth portfolio box 43.5 x 31 x 4.5 cm (17 x 12.25 x 1.75 in), Edition of 50, signed „h.d.“ and numbered on label on box.
With her edition In Hommage an meinen Vater (In Homage to My Father), Hanne Darboven honors her father in a striking composition, where she integrates personal photographs into a strictly gridded arrangement. This structure is dominated by her characteristic system of mathematical calculations and principles. The autobiographical work provides deep insight into Darboven's precise and meticulous artistic practice, for which she is internationally renowned. Her close relationship with her family is reflected not only in this tribute but also in her way of life: in the late 1960s, she permanently returned to her parental home, which also became the center of her artistic production.
portfolio EUR 2,500
Harburg Sand
1988
Collotype, silkscreen, on rag paper, 97 x 80 cm (38 x 31½ in). Edition of 75, signed and numbered.
Harburg Sand consists of six identical postcard images of a Hamburg suburb, suggesting a temporal sequence. The texts, dated from June 12 to June 17, 1988, combine everyday observations with the systematic calculation of numerical values. By crossing out the word "today" and adding date digits, Hanne Darboven addresses the contradictory nature of time in this edition – a moment that both passes and is preserved.
The work is part of the collection of MoMA, New York.
EUR 1,000
für: Walter Mehring
1980
139 offset lithographs in portfolio box, DIN A3 (23 x 17 in). Edition of 250, signed "h.d." in black ink on portfolio box label, stamp-numbered in impressum.
This edition by Hanne Darboven is also known under the title Milieu »80«—: heute, Freiheit statt Strauss. Friede statt Krieg (Milieu »80«—: today, freedom instead of Strauss. Peace instead of war.), as documented in the publication by Bippus and Westheider (2002).
Box EUR 6,900
Welttheater '79'
1979
366 offset lithographs, DIN A4 (21 x 29.7 cm / 8½ x 11½ in) each, in portfolio box. Edition of 250, signed on box, numbered on colophon.
Hanne Darboven's Welttheater '79' follows a stringent conceptual order. Two-thirds of each sheet in this edition is colored deep black, while a white isosceles triangle in the right-hand half of the picture draws the eye to a collaged scene. Within this section appear advertising figures bearing the logo of the traditional family business IWE Darboven. The consecutive numbering of the sheets corresponds to the days of a calendar year and is supplemented by a single title page. With this work, Darboven combines her characteristic time structure with biographical and economic-historical references.
Box EUR 6,900
Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben
1979
31 offset lithographs, each DIN A3 (42 x 29.7 cm / 23 x 17 in), in cardboard portfolio box. Edition of 250, signed "h.d." on label on portfolio box, stamp-numbered on colophon.
In this edition, Hanne Darboven takes up a popular folk song and transforms it into her characteristic, self-developed writing systems. She complements the theme with photographic snapshots that she captured at a Romani festival and integrates into her conceptual context.
Box EUR 5,350
