ROXY PAINE | DISCREPANCY

March 2011: An exceptional tree is "planted" in the direct neighbourhood of the English Garden. Its branches reach more than eleven metres towards the skies. The tree-like sculpture made of stainless steel is the fourth large-scale sculpture by US artist Roxy Paine to be shown as a permanent installation in Europe and the first in Germany.

During the installation of Discrepancy: Roxy Paine talks about the creation of the sculpture and about his artistic oeuvre.

In 2010, three internationally renowned artists were invited to conceive a sculptural design for the entrance area of Munich Re's new building complex at Mandlstrasse in Munich. Munich Re's Architecture and Art Committee decided in favour of Discrepancy by Roxy Paine. The project was planned in detail and executed in close cooperation with the artist, architects, engineers and landscape architects.

"The unusual power of Roxy Paine's sculptures lies in the fusion of natural forms and technical precision, archetype and effigy, permanency and transience, nature and culture," says Susanne Ehrenfried-Bergmann, Curator of Munich Re's art collection.

A central theme in Roxy Paine's artistic oeuvre is the complex relationship between nature and technology. Roxy Paine looks for similarities and differences between nature and the artificell world, for parallels and alternatives in structure and language. In so doing, he places the question of where man stands in this field of tension.