Dieter Roth. Root Treatment (Wurzelbehandlung). 1971
Screenprint and rust on metal sheet, sheet: 25 13/16 x 36 9/16" (65.5 x 92.9 cm). Publisher and printer: Hartmut Kaminski, Düsseldorf. Edition: 50. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Anna Marie and Robert F. Shapiro Fund. Photograph: Thomas Griesel. © 2013 Estate of Dieter Roth
This print is made on sheet metal. For each impression, Roth and Hartmut Kaminski, a Düsseldorf-based printer and the artist’s frequent collaborator, screenprinted both sides of an iron sheet. Next, Kaminski watered the plates with a garden hose to accelerate the rusting process. The work depicts a sardine can with its lid partially rolled back to reveal its contents, which appear to be carrots. The title reflects Roth’s love of wordplay and puns: in German, Wurzelbehandlung most commonly means “root canal,” and carrots are root vegetables.
