Compiling columns of numbers on typewriter paper, Hanne Darboven (1941-2009) catalogued time.

Probably the most important German Conceptual artist, Darboven added, cross-totaled, wrote down, recorded. In her hands, notated moments in time coalesced into works of art. This collage-like biography focuses on a fascinatingly androgynous female figure, setting out on a search for the traces of her life. Born into an upper-class family in Hamburg, Darboven experienced her artistic awakening in New York in the 1960s and ultimately carved out a stellar career as an artist.

Here, transcribed conversations, narrative passages and interviews with fellow artists such as Lawrence Weiner, Carl Andre, Joseph Kosuth, Kasper König and Rainer Langhans are interspersed with one another. This intimate perspective demonstrates Darboven's artistic development and enables readers to more easily access her influential oeuvre.