ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Stefan Gronert's Study of Sigmar Polke's 'Girlfriends' Published by Afterall

publication · 2026-04-22

Afterall has released a new book by Stefan Gronert examining Sigmar Polke's 1965/66 work 'Freundinnen' (Girlfriends). The study focuses on Polke's use of raster dots from mass media reproductions to critique the social function of images. Gronert analyzes the work's technical details and historical context, including Polke's relationship with Gerhard Richter and the feminist discourse of the era. The book incorporates previously untranslated critical interpretations and is part of the One Work series, which highlights influential artworks. It covers Polke's cross-media practice spanning photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and film.

Key facts

  • Stefan Gronert authored the study on Sigmar Polke's 'Girlfriends'
  • The work was created in 1965/66
  • Polke used raster dots from mass media reproductions
  • The book is part of Afterall's One Work series
  • It includes material not previously translated into English
  • Polke's relationship with Gerhard Richter is discussed
  • Feminist discourse of the time is considered
  • Polke worked across photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, and film

Entities

Artists

  • Sigmar Polke
  • Stefan Gronert
  • Gerhard Richter

Institutions

  • Afterall
  • MIT Press

Sources