Multiplying is Human

Edition Block is one of the oldest and notable publishers of limited-edition objects and prints by international contemporary artists. Founded in 1966 by René Block with the aim of democratising the art market, Edition Block has consistently broken new ground in the field of multiple art throughout its sixty-year history. Many of the early editions are no longer available but held in the collections of some of the world’s most renowned museums. In addition to its main location on Prager Straße in Berlin, Edition Block also operates the window gallery KIF – KUNST IM FENSTER on Schaperstraße in Berlin-Wilmersdorf.

Over six decades, 113 editions have been published in collaboration with over 100 artists, all closely recognised with René Block’s work. Whether as a gallerist (representing Joseph Beuys, Richard Hamilton, Nam June Paik, Sigmar Polke, Karl Horst Hödicke, a. o.), as an international curator (with a particular focus on biennials), or as artistic director of institutions such as the Kunsthalle Fridericianum in Kassel and Kunsthalle 44Møen in Denmark.

The artistic range of Edition Block includes legendary works such as Schlitten (1969), Filzanzug (1970) and Das Schweigen (1973) by Joseph Beuys, The Critic Laughs (1968-71) by Richard Hamilton, the first video multiple Der Denker (1976-78) by Nam June Paik, prints by Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and KP Brehmer, and, since 1975, works by female artists such as Rebecca Horn, Alicja Kwade, Rosa Barba, Ayşe Erkmen, Gülsün Karamustafa, Maria Eichhorn and Mona Hatoum. The publication of print portfolios has always been a particular concern of René Block, including KP Brehmer Deutsche Werte (1967), 8 Australian artists in Aus Australien (1988), 30 artists from the Balkan region and Turkey in Love It or Leave It (2005), and Nasan Tur City says… (2010).

With its transition to Edition Block GmbH under the management of Anna Block in 2004, the Edition initially continued its work in a new exhibition space on Heidestraße in Berlin. In 2014, it moved to Prager Straße with Otto Block as a partner, where its publishing activities were intensified once again and continue to this day.

Under the name KIF – KUNST IM FENSTER, small exhibitions featuring individual works, archive materials or installations are presented daily until the evening in the shop window at Schaperstraße 11. It is a location steeped in tradition, as Edition Block moved into its first premises at this address in 1973 with the exhibition Continue … by Arthur Köpcke. From 1981 to 2014, the record gallery gelbe MUSIK established Schaperstraße 11 as a well-known address far beyond Berlin, until Edition Block reactivated the location in 2024.