Mario MERZ

Mario Merz, collage, spray paint and crayon on paper, 1984 The Italian artist Mario Merz is one of the best-known representatives of Arte Povera. This “poor art” responded to the consumerism of modern man and the loss of its ecological connection. Through the combination of natural and synthetic materials he brings art closer to everyday […]

Ry ROCKLEN

Ry Rocklen, mixed media, 2008 The American contemporary artist Ry Rocklen makes avid use of discarded objects. Inspired by the readymade concept and following Arte Povera, he creates his objects and installations. His focus is on the aesthetic and mystical qualities of the materials he finds. His working method is like a tribute to what […]

Jean RUSTIN

Jean Rustin, oil on canvas, 1992-97 In the early 1970s, the French artist Jean Rustin made a complete turnaround in his career, he exchanged his abstract painting style for a totally innovative figurative visual language. With a virtuoso technique and an extraordinary colour palette, he painted his peculiar nudes. The bare genitals, often in a […]

Zhijie QIU

Qiu Zhijie, c-print, 1994 The Chinese artist Qiu Zhijie, like many other dissidents, had his international breakthrough in the 1990s. By using traditional techniques combined with new technological media, he broke away from the imposed dogmas in his country. In his work he contrasts word and image and blurs the line between fiction and reality. […]

Tom WESSELMANN

Tom Wesselmann, oil on canvas, 1975 Tom Wesselmann is one of the key figures in American pop art, known for his earliest collages on canvas. Radiators, towels, wallpaper and other domestic objects were the precursors that occupied his interiors with his American nudes as still lifes. Typical of Wesselmann’s later drawing and painting style were […]

GILBERT & GEORGE

Gilbert & George, unique c-print in metal frame, 1991 The British-Italian artist duo Gilbert & George met in their student days and have been inseparable ever since. Their life and work are intertwined into one and comprise a diversity of visual material. In their British suits, they perform in numerous performances as living statues. With […]

Georges VANTONGERLOO

Georges Vantongerloo, painted wood, 1918-1922 The Belgian artist Georges Vantongerloo was initially part of the De Stijl art movement. From 1918 onwards, both in his painting and sculpture, he focuses entirely on abstraction, based on a mathematical regulation. However, he soon distances himself from the rather limited ideas of De Stijl. His geometric compositions evolve […]

Jan VOSS

Jan Voss, acrylic on canvas, 1977 The ordered experiment is characteristic of the work of the German artist Jan Voss. In the beginning his work was characterized by a fragmentary structure of figurative and loose forms. They were connected by a line pattern. The artist abstracts his work by means of graphic techniques and the […]

Bram VAN VELDE

Bram van Velde, gouache on paper mounted on canvas, 1959 The Dutch painter Bram van Velde worked as a teenager in an interior design company. His talent was quickly noticed and his boss became his first patron. He was given all funds to develop as an artist and from then on started his many travels […]

CÉSAR

César, compressed scrap, 1989 One of the leading new realists was the French artist César Baldaccini. Trained as a blacksmith and welder, he has already proven his talent with the assembly of finely elaborated metal sculptures since the beginning of his career. In 1960 the artist came into disrepute. His ‘Compressions’ caused a scandal within […]