Known for his iconoclastic use of nontraditional artistic materials, ranging from chocolate to playing cards to animal excrement, artist Dieter Roth (1930–1998) underscored processes of decomposition in his work. Curatorial fellow Lauren Hanson considers how Roth’s “decay objects” from the 1960s and ’70s harness self-deprecating humor to challenge notions of originality, artistic genius, and the museum as a site of preservation. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: + Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Shit Hare,” 1975, dirt, straw, hay, and rabbit droppings, pressed into a mold. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb, 2001.50. © Dieter Roth Estate/Hauser & Wirth. https://hvrd.art/o/173509. + Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Pocket Room (Taschenzimmer)," 1969, Banana slice tacked to stamped paper in a plastic box stored within custom made cardboard box. Harvard Art Museums/ Busch-Reisinger Museum, Gift of Dorette Hildebrand-Staab, 2020.133. © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. https://hvrd.art/o/367463. + Dieter Roth, Swiss, “Chocolate Lion (Self-Portrait as a Lion) (Schokoladenlöwe, Selbstportrait als Löwe)," 1971, Marbled chocolate. Harvard Art Museums/Busch-Reisinger Museum, Purchase in memory of Eda K. Loeb, 2001.49. © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. https://hvrd.art/o/174434. SPEAKER: Lauren Hanson, Stefan Engelhorn Curatorial Fellow in the Busch-Reisinger Museum, Division of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums. --- The Harvard Art Museums at Home: Art Talks is a series in which curators, conservators, fellows, and graduate students offer an up-close look at works from our collections. All works discussed by Dieter Roth: © Dieter Roth Estate/ Hauser & Wirth. All works discussed by Joseph Beuys © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. Work by Hans Bellmer, © Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Work by Bruce Nauman, © Bruce Nauman. Recorded Tuesday, February 2, 2021. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. Video: Lauren Hanson. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.