documenta 4 catalog (1968)

Cover of the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The graphic design shows a large white number "4" against a red background with a black accent, underneath the lettering "documenta" in black sans serif font on a white background. The design follows a clear, modern grid.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double-page spread from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two black-and-white photographs of assemblages or object boxes. On the left, a dense arrangement of mechanical or industrial components such as hoses, nozzles and valves in even rows. On the right, a loosely distributed collection of elongated objects, springs, cogwheels and fragments, seemingly randomly laid out on a surface. Both works thematize materiality and order.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with works by Richard Hamilton. On the left, biographical information and a montage of surreal-looking pictorial compositions with distorted objects, architectural elements and a portrait of a woman. On the right, a large-format work with a detail of a male torso in a striped swimsuit, depicted in photorealistic technique. Above it, the work and exhibition details are written in German.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two black and white photographs of minimalist sculptures. Both images show large, geometrically reduced objects in the form of acute-angled cuboids. The photograph on the right shows an exhibition view in the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, in which the sculpture is presented in a bright room with other minimalist works.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two photorealistic depictions. On the left, a picture of a car door cut-out divided into segments with curved lines and a shiny surface. On the right, a greatly enlarged depiction of an elegantly dressed leg with a shoe wrapped around a vertical chrome bar. Both works show shiny surfaces and reflective materials in monochrome.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Back cover from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The design shows a large red square on a white background with the black inscription "kassel '68" in sans serif font at the bottom. The design is clear and minimalist.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Cover of the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The design shows a large white number "4" against a blue background with a black accent and below it the lettering "documenta" in black sans serif font on a white background. The layout is clear and modernist.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by David Hockney. On the left, biographical information and exhibition list in German, including three small-format drawings with figurative scenes. On the right, a large-format depiction of two naked men lying opposite each other in a bed. The scene is calm and intimate, the pattern of the bedspread contrasts with the fine line drawing of the figures.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by Claes Oldenburg. The left-hand page shows a large-format black and white photograph of an installation of large spherical shapes in black, white and shades of gray lying on the floor in a geometric arrangement. The right-hand page shows two photographs of a sculptural object: a pair of abstract white legs on a black plinth. Above this is biographical information, exhibitions and work details in German.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by Bridget Riley. On the left-hand page, biographical information and a list of exhibitions in German. On the right-hand side, five abstract pictorial motifs that create optical effects: patterns of black lines, wave forms and dot structures that suggest movement and depth. The works are presented in a strictly geometric arrangement on a white background.
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Back of an exhibition catalog with a simple, graphic design. A large blue square takes up the upper part of the surface. Below it is written in black sans serif lettering on a white background: "kassel '68".
4th documenta, catalog, Druck + Verlag GmbH, Kassel, 1968, Photos: Marianne Vierø
Cover of the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The graphic design shows a large white number "4" against a red background with a black accent, underneath the lettering "documenta" in black sans serif font on a white background. The design follows a clear, modern grid.Double-page spread from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two black-and-white photographs of assemblages or object boxes. On the left, a dense arrangement of mechanical or industrial components such as hoses, nozzles and valves in even rows. On the right, a loosely distributed collection of elongated objects, springs, cogwheels and fragments, seemingly randomly laid out on a surface. Both works thematize materiality and order.Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with works by Richard Hamilton. On the left, biographical information and a montage of surreal-looking pictorial compositions with distorted objects, architectural elements and a portrait of a woman. On the right, a large-format work with a detail of a male torso in a striped swimsuit, depicted in photorealistic technique. Above it, the work and exhibition details are written in German.Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two black and white photographs of minimalist sculptures. Both images show large, geometrically reduced objects in the form of acute-angled cuboids. The photograph on the right shows an exhibition view in the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, in which the sculpture is presented in a bright room with other minimalist works.Double page from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog with two photorealistic depictions. On the left, a picture of a car door cut-out divided into segments with curved lines and a shiny surface. On the right, a greatly enlarged depiction of an elegantly dressed leg with a shoe wrapped around a vertical chrome bar. Both works show shiny surfaces and reflective materials in monochrome.Back cover from the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The design shows a large red square on a white background with the black inscription "kassel '68" in sans serif font at the bottom. The design is clear and minimalist.Cover of the documenta 4 exhibition catalog from 1968. The design shows a large white number "4" against a blue background with a black accent and below it the lettering "documenta" in black sans serif font on a white background. The layout is clear and modernist.Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by David Hockney. On the left, biographical information and exhibition list in German, including three small-format drawings with figurative scenes. On the right, a large-format depiction of two naked men lying opposite each other in a bed. The scene is calm and intimate, the pattern of the bedspread contrasts with the fine line drawing of the figures.Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by Claes Oldenburg. The left-hand page shows a large-format black and white photograph of an installation of large spherical shapes in black, white and shades of gray lying on the floor in a geometric arrangement. The right-hand page shows two photographs of a sculptural object: a pair of abstract white legs on a black plinth. Above this is biographical information, exhibitions and work details in German.Double page from the exhibition catalog with works by Bridget Riley. On the left-hand page, biographical information and a list of exhibitions in German. On the right-hand side, five abstract pictorial motifs that create optical effects: patterns of black lines, wave forms and dot structures that suggest movement and depth. The works are presented in a strictly geometric arrangement on a white background.Back of an exhibition catalog with a simple, graphic design. A large blue square takes up the upper part of the surface. Below it is written in black sans serif lettering on a white background: "kassel '68".

"This documenta does not belong to the establishment either - as we believe", wrote Arnold Bode in the documenta 4 catalog in May 1968. Nevertheless, the exhibition is often seen in the light of a generational change in the retrospective. For the first time, Kassel graphics professor Karl Oskar Blase, who would shape the appearance of documenta like no other in the decades to come, was responsible for the graphic design. His design builds on the previous design language of Atelier Bode and develops it further with confidence. The Roman numbering ("II. documenta", "documenta III") gives way to a block-like Arabic 4, which shows a "clear edge" in the cover design of the exhibition catalog. The catalog design reflects current trends such as Pop, Op and Hard Edge and is a mirror of contemporary art and contemporaneity.