German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
artist based in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. He is one of the most important representatives of a new figurative painting in the 21st century.
Life
Norbert Bisky was born in
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
and grew up in the former
German Democratic Republic
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
as "part of a very
Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
family that really believed in all that stuff".
From 1994 to 1999 Norbert Bisky studied painting at
Hochschule der Künste
The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...
in Berlin where he was a Master Student of
Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his subjects upside down in an effort to overcome the ...
and at the Salzburg Summer Academy in the class of
Jim Dine
Jim Dine (born June 16, 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American artist whose œuvre extends over sixty years. Dine’s work includes painting, drawing, printmaking (in many forms including lithographs, etchings, gravure, intaglio, woodcuts, l ...
.
In 1995, he spent a year as an exchange student in
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, where he discovered the works of
Francisco de Goya
Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...
, Francisco de Zubaráns and
Jusepe de Ribera
Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and printmaker, who along with Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting. Referring to ...
.
Bisky was a guest professor at the HEAD Academy of arts in Geneva from 2008 to 2010 and from 2016 to 2018 at HBK Braunschweig. In 2015, he swapped studios with
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
Norbert Biskys early paintings are most commonly described as heavily influenced by
socialist realism
Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...
, the official art of the GDR. Comparing the belief in communism to a religion, he processed his childhood memories by painting "those images of paradise" and "false promises" into dazzling bright images of idealized bodies and untouched nature.
In later years, Bisky's large-size paintings, often depicting adolescents, increasingly shifted towards darker themes. Personal loss, the experience of terror, travels to Brazil and media reports inspired him to examine subjects such as violence, sexuality and destruction symbolized by figures, in many cases floating, falling or tumbling without any gravitational axis. Firmly established in the public conscience through media images following the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, these falling figures explore the transience of youth, the loss of autonomy, isolation and the disintegration of modern civilization.
The aesthetic tumult surrounding the figures is punctuated by the cross pollination of cues from Christian ideology, art history, gay culture, pornography and apocalyptic visions. Through this, Bisky transmits an impression of instability on the canvas that distinctly resonates with our contemporary state of affairs.
In May 2013, Norbert Bisky created his first stage set for the piece "Masse" by the
Berlin State Ballet
The Berlin State Ballet (german: Staatsballett Berlin, links=no, italic=no) is the principal ballet company in the German capital of Berlin. It was created in 2004 through a merger of the separate ballet companies of the city's three opera house ...
that premiered in the legendary Berlin Nightclub
Berghain
Berghain () is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin, and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station.
in May 2013 and was the subject of a TV documentary by German director Nicole Graf.
Since May 2017 Norbert Bisky's large-format painting "Vertigo" is prominently displayed in
Berghain
Berghain () is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin, and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station.
's entrance hall as part of the club's art concept, which also features works by
Wolfgang Tillmans
Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations.
Tillmans was the first photog ...
and Joseph Marr.
For
World Press Freedom Day
The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the righ ...
, Norbert Bisky created the painting "Rauschen" which was printed on the title page of numerous German daily newspapers, in collaboration with the Federal association of German newspaper publishers (BDZV: Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger) on 3 May 2019.
Bisky is being represented by König Galerie in Berlin. and by
Fabienne Levy Gallery
Fabienne is a feminine French and English given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Fabienne André (born 1996), British athlete
* Fabienne Dufour (born 1981), Belgian swimmer
* Fabienne Feraez (born 1976), Beninese sprinter
* Fabienne ...
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Exhibitions
2022
* "Walküren-Basislager",
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra.
History
Performances of operas, ballet and ...
, Stuttgart, Germany
* "Mirror Society",
SCAD Museum of Art
The SCAD Museum of Art was founded in 2002 as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, and originally was known as the Earle W. Newton Center for British American Studies.
The museum's permanent collection of more than ...
Fabienne Levy Gallery
Fabienne is a feminine French and English given name. Notable people with the name include:
* Fabienne André (born 1996), British athlete
* Fabienne Dufour (born 1981), Belgian swimmer
* Fabienne Feraez (born 1976), Beninese sprinter
* Fabienne ...
, Lausanne, Switzerland
* "Metrocake", KONIG TOKIO, Tokio, Japan
* "Berlin Sunday", Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
* "Desmadre Berlin", Galerie
Daniel Templon
Daniel Templon is a French contemporary art dealer born in 1945. In 1966, he founded his first contemporary art gallery in Paris.
Galerie Templon
With no artistic background,Georgina Adam (10 June 2016)The Art Market: A dealer with staying power' ...
, Paris France
2019
* "RANT", Villa Schöningen,
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
, Germany / "POMPA", St. Matthäus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany
* "Tainted Love/Club Edit", Villa Arson, Nizza, France
2018
* "Fernwärme", Museum Langmatt, Baden, Switzerland
* "Hope and Hazard: A Comedy of Eros", curated by
Eric Fischl
Eric Fischl (born March 9, 1948) is an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, draughtsman and educator. He is known for his paintings depicting American suburbia from the 1970s and 1980s.
Life
Fischl was born in New York City and grew up on s ...
,
Hall Art Foundation
The Hall Art Foundation is an organization, founded in 2007 by Andrew Hall (hedge fund manager), Andrew Hall and Christine Hall, which oversees two Contemporary art, contemporary art museums, one in Vermont and one in Germany, named Kunstmuseum Sch ...
, Reading, USA
* "Boezemvriend" (with Grit Hachmeister), Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2017
* "Trilemma", König Galerie, Berlin, Germany
* "Die Revolution ist tot. Lang lebe die Revolution!",
Kunstmuseum Bern
The Museum of Fine Arts Bern (German: ''Kunstmuseum Bern''), established in 1879 in Bern, is the museum of fine arts of the de facto capital of Switzerland.
Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Paul Klee, Pab ...
, Bern, Switzerland
* "MISSING: Der Turm der blauen Pferde by Franz Marc – Contemporary artists in search of a lost masterpiece", Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany
2016
* "Dies Irae", Crone Wien, Vienna, Austria
* "A FUGA", Galeria Baró, São Paulo, Brazil
* "Elective Affinities – German Art Since The Late 1960s",
Latvian National Museum of Art
The Latvian National Museum of Art ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs) is the richest collection of national art in Latvia. It houses more than 52,000 works of art reflecting the development of professional art in the Baltic area and ...
, Riga, Latvia
* "Zeitgeist – Arte da Nova Berlim", Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
2015
* "Hérésie", Galerie
Daniel Templon
Daniel Templon is a French contemporary art dealer born in 1945. In 1966, he founded his first contemporary art gallery in Paris.
Galerie Templon
With no artistic background,Georgina Adam (10 June 2016)The Art Market: A dealer with staying power' ...
, Brussels, Belgium
* "Levinsky Street", Givon Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
* "Balagan", Bötzow Berlin, Berlin, Germany
* "Black Bandits", Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany
2014
* "Zentrifuge", Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany
* "Works on Paper", Galerie
Daniel Templon
Daniel Templon is a French contemporary art dealer born in 1945. In 1966, he founded his first contemporary art gallery in Paris.
Galerie Templon
With no artistic background,Georgina Adam (10 June 2016)The Art Market: A dealer with staying power' ...
Berghain
Berghain () is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin, and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station.
, Berlin, Germany
* "Utopie Picturale 2", Fonderie Kugler, Geneva, Switzerland
2013
* "Norbert Bisky: Special Report", MEWO Kunsthalle, Memmingen, Germany
* "Paraisópolis", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
2012
* "Stampede", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA
* "I am a Berliner",
Tel Aviv Museum of Art
Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aroun ...
, Tel Aviv, Israel
* "Laboratories of the Senses", MARTa Herford, Herford, Germany
2011
* "A Retrospective. Ten Years Of Painting", Kunsthalle Marcel Duchamp, Cully, Switzerland
* "Decompression", Galerie
Daniel Templon
Daniel Templon is a French contemporary art dealer born in 1945. In 1966, he founded his first contemporary art gallery in Paris.
Galerie Templon
With no artistic background,Georgina Adam (10 June 2016)The Art Market: A dealer with staying power' ...
, Paris, France
2010
* "befall", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
* "Maudit", Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva, Switzerland
2009
* "Mandelkern", Kunstverein Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
* "crossing jordaan", Cokkie Snoei, Rotterdam und Amsterdam, Netherlands
* "Nefasto Máximo", Galería Espacio Mínimo, Madrid, Spain
* "Norbert Bisky: Paintings", Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, Israel
2008
* "cloud cuckoo land", Gallery Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, India
* "privat", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany
* "minimental", Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam
2007
* "Ich war's nicht", Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany
* "What's wrong with me", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA
* "Behind Innocence", Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, South Korea
2006
* "Total Care", Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius, Lithuania
* "es tut mir so leid", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany
2005
* "Norbert Bisky", Studio d'Arte Cannaviello, Milan, Italy
* "Déluge", Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève, Paris, France
* "Malerei", Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2004
* "The Proud, the Few", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA
* "Abgesagt", Mannheimer Kunstverein, Mannheim, Germany
* "Opkomst en Verval", Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2003
* "Schlachteplatte", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany
2002
* "Norbert Bisky", Museum Junge Kunst, Frankfurt/Oder, Germany
2001
* "Wir werden siegen", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany
* "Almauftrieb", Kulturbrauerei Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany
* "Vorkämpfer", Chelsea Kunstraum, Cologne, Germany
Public collections
*
MoMA
Moma may refer to:
People
* Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist
* Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician
* Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher
Places
; Ang ...
*
Museum der bildenden Künste
The Museum der bildenden Künste (German: "Museum of Fine Arts") is a museum in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It covers artworks from the Late Middle Ages to Modernity.
History
Museum Foundation and First Museum
The museum dates back to the fo ...
, Leipzig, Germany
*
Museum Ludwig
Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy ...
Deutsche Bank Collection
The Deutsche Guggenheim was an art museum in Berlin, Germany, open from 1997 to 2013.Kuhla, Karoline"Final Exhibition: The Guggenheim's Farewell to Berlin" ''Spiegel Online'', November 15, 2012 It was located in the ground floor of the Deutsche B ...
, Frankfurt, Germany
*
Hall Art Foundation
The Hall Art Foundation is an organization, founded in 2007 by Andrew Hall (hedge fund manager), Andrew Hall and Christine Hall, which oversees two Contemporary art, contemporary art museums, one in Vermont and one in Germany, named Kunstmuseum Sch ...
*
Palm Springs Art Museum
The Palm Springs Art Museum (formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum) was founded in 1938, and is a regional art, natural science and performing arts institution for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United St ...
Israel Museum
The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...
, Jerusalem
*
Berlinische Galerie
The Berlinische Galerie is a museum of modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. It is located in Kreuzberg, on Alte Jakobstraße, not far from the Jewish Museum.
History
The Berlinische Galerie was founded in 1975
, Berlin, Germany
See also
*
List of German painters
This is a list of German painters.
A
> second column was into info box -->
* Hans von Aachen (1552–1615)
* Aatifi (born 1965)
* Karl Abt (1899–1985)
* Tomma Abts (born 1967)
* Andreas Achenbach (1815–1910)
* Oswald Achenbach (1827 ...
Notes
Sources
*Mullins, Charlotte (2006). ''Painting People: Figure Painting Today''. New York: