Salomé (born 24 August 1954 as Wolfgang Ludwig Cihlarz in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

) is a German artist. His paintings are in renowned museums and collections all over the world. Salomé became known as one of the members of the art group

Junge Wilde The term Junge Wilde (German for "young wild ones") was originally applied to trends within the art world, and was only later used with reference to politics. At present, the term is used by German-language journalists to describe any group within ...

(Wild Youth) or Neue Wilde (New Wild Ones). He also is recognized as a sculptor and Punk singer.

Life

Wolfgang Ludwig Cihlarz grew up in a

dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...

(Baden-Württemberg), West Germany, and completed his training as an architectural draftsman. In 1973 he moved to

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

, at the time renowned for its art scene. There he initially worked as an architectural draftsman for the U.S. Army in Tempelhof and at DETEWE, among others. After passing the entrance exam he enrolled at the Berlin Academy of Art (at the time HfbK – Hochschule für Bildende Kunst, today UdK – Universität der Künste), studying painting with Ulrich Knipsel from 1974 through 1980, later as a student in the master class of Karl Heinz Hödicke. While a student he temped as a waiter at the clubs “Matalla” and “Dschungel”, as well as in the gay café “Anderes Ufer” (The Other Side). He had met the owner of the latter, Gerhard Hoffmann, in 1974 in the “Homosexuelle Aktion Westberlin” (HAW – Gay Action West Berlin). Hoffmann came up with the pseudonym ''Salomé'' in 1974. In “Anderes Ufer” Salomé also met

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, among others, who was at the time enriching the wild Berlin night-life. At this time Salomé was in a relationship with

Rainer Fetting Rainer Fetting (born 31 December 1949 in Wilhelmshaven, West Germany) is a German painter and sculptor. Rainer Fetting was one of the co-founders and main protagonists of the Galerie am Moritzplatz in Berlin, founded in the late 1970s by a gr ...

. In 1977 Salomé, together with fellow artists Helmut Middendorf, Bernd Zimmer, Rainer Fetting, Anne Jud, Berthold Schepers, Rolf von Bergmann, and others founded the ''“Galerie am Moritzplatz”'' (Gallery at Moritzplatz). Other guests and members joined them later, e.g. Hella Santarossa and

Luciano Castelli Luciano Castelli (born 28 September 1951 in Lucerne) is a Swiss painter, graphic artist, photographer, sculptor and musician. Life and work Lucerne: model, self-promoter, Art Star Luciano Castelli visited the preliminary course of the School ...

. With Luciano Castelli he in 1980 formed the Punk band ''”Geile Tiere”'' (The Horny Animals,

new wave music New wave is a music genre that encompasses pop music, pop-oriented styles from the 1970s through the 1980s. It is considered a lighter and more melodic "broadening of Punk subculture, punk culture". It was originally used as a catch-all fo ...

). With wild performances he presented himself in films and radio plays. In 1980 Salomé was invited to participate in the exhibition “Heftige Malerei” (Wild Paintings) at the ''Haus am Waldsee'', Berlin. That same year he also participated in the exhibition “Les Nouveaux Fauves – Die Neuen Wilden” in Aachen, West Germany. In 1981 he took part in the popular exhibition “Rundschau Deutschland”. Together with painters like Rainer Fetting, Helmut Middendorf, Bernd Zimmer, Elvira Bach, Luciano Castelli, and Jiri Georg Dokoupil, Salomé now became known as one of the members of the “Wild Style” art group of the

(Wild Youth) or Neue Wilde (New Wild Ones). In 1982, due to the invitation by Rudi Fuchs to participate in the famed international art show “

documenta Documenta (often stylized documenta) is an Art exhibition, exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. Documenta was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgarte ...

7” in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

(

Hesse Hesse or Hessen ( ), officially the State of Hesse (), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt, which is also the country's principal financial centre. Two other major hist ...

), West Germany, he had his international break-through. Salomé began dividing his time between the art metropolises New York and Berlin. He made portraits of numerous VIPs, e.g. the at the time very extravagant

Gloria, Princess of Thurn and Taxis Gloria, Dowager Princess of Thurn and Taxis (''Mariae Gloria Ferdinanda Joachima Josephine Wilhelmine Huberta''; born Countess Gloria von Schönburg-Glauchau, 23 February 1960) is a German socialite, businesswoman, Catholic activist, art collec ...

, and he was himself portrayed by famous photographers, such as

Helmut Newton Helmut Newton (né Neustädter; 31 October 192023 January 2004) was a German-Australian photographer. The ''The New York Times, New York Times'' described him as a "prolific, widely imitated fashion photographer whose provocative, erotically ch ...

. In 1999, after an extended stay in the U.S., he returned to Berlin and reactivated his studio in the space of the former “Galerie am Moritzplatz”. In cooperation with notable porcelain manufacturers, among others "Philipp Rosenthal"

Hutschenreuther Hutschenreuther is the name of a German family that established the production of porcelain in northern Bavaria, starting in 1814. History The Hutschenreuther porcelain business was founded in 1814 by Carolus Magnus Hutschenreuther (1794–184 ...

, he created painted sculptures and dinner services. Today Salomé's paintings can be found in renowned museums and private collections all over the world. Among the best known-series are the colorful “Swimmers” and “Water Lilies”. Apart from that there are series with neutral portraits of celebrities, as well as expressly gay themes. Recently he has again started to produce his own Pop music CDs and he still occasionally performs as a singer. He participates in benefit events on a regular basis. Salomé lives and works in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

Exhibitions (selection)

* ''Heftige Malerei'', Gallery Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany, 1980 * ''

7'', Kassel, Germany, 1982 * ''Schwimmer'', Gallery Raab, Berlin, Germany, 1982 * ''

Zeitgeist In 18th- and 19th-century German philosophy, a ''Zeitgeist'' (; ; capitalized in German) is an invisible agent, force, or daemon dominating the characteristics of a given epoch in world history. The term is usually associated with Georg W. F ...

'', Museum Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany, 1982 * '' Biennale Venedig'', Venice, Italy, 1982 * ''

Von hier aus – Zwei Monate neue deutsche Kunst in Düsseldorf Von hier aus – Zwei Monate neue deutsche Kunst in Düsseldorf (''Up from here – Two months of new German art in Düsseldorf'') is the title of an art exhibition from 29 September 1984 to 2 December 1984.Wayback Machine/ref> It was organised by t ...

'', Duesseldorf, Germany, 1984 * ''BerlinArt 1961–1987'',

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

, New York, USA, 1987 * ''BerlinArt 1961–1987'',

, San Francisco, USA, 1987 * ''Refigured Painting in Contemporary German Art'',

Guggenheim Museum The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: * The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, Ne ...

, New York, USA, 1988 * ''

Obsessive Malerei - Ein Rückblick auf die Neuen Wilden Obsession may refer to: Psychology * Celebrity worship syndrome, obsessive addictive disorder to a celebrity's personal and professional life * Obsession (psychology), a persistent attachment to an object or idea * Fixation (psychology), persist ...

'', Berlin, Germany, 2003/2004 * ''Gladiatoren und Maße'', Gallery Deschler, Berlin, Germany, 2006 * ''Wunschbilder'', Gallery Deschler, Berlin, Germany, 2008 * ''PUNK – No One Is Innocent'', Museum Kunsthalle Wien, Austria, 2008

Books

* ''Salomé by Salomé'', Edition Cantz, Stuttgart, Germany, 1992,

Catalogues (selection)

* ''Heftige Malerei'', Gallery Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany, 1980 * ''Im Westen nichts Neues'', Museum Kunstmuseum Luzern, Luzern, Switzerland, 1981 * ''Katalog Documenta 7'', Kassel, Germany, 1982, * ''Zeitgeist'', Museum Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany, 1982, * ''Artistic Collaboration in the 20th Century'', Hirshhorn Museum, Washington/D.C., USA, 1984 * ''The European Iceberg, Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada, 1984, * ''An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture'', Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA, 1984 * ''Tiefe Blicke'', Dumont Kunstverlag, Cologne, Germany, 1985, * ''Bienal São Paulo'', São Paulo, Brazil, 1985 * ''Frauen in Deutschland'', Gallery Raab, Berlin, Germany, 1986 * ''Zeitgenoessische Kunst in der Deutschen Bank'', Frankfurt, Germany, 1987 * ''Berlinart 1961–1987'', Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA, 1987, * ''Pictures for the Sky – Kunstdrachen'', Goethe Institut, Osaka, Japan, 1988 * ''Kunst der Gegenwart'', Klaus Honnef, Verlag Taschen, Cologne, Germany, 1991, * ''Heftige Malerei'', Collection Wuerth, Thorbecke Verlag, Sigmaringen, Germany, 1996, * ''Sammlung Wuerth'', Swiridoff Verlag, Kuenzelsau, Germany, 2002 * ''Seerosen Variationen, Edition Salomé, Berlin, Germany, 2004 * ''Das Achte Feld'', Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany, 2006, * ''Gladiatoren und Masse'', Edition Salomé and Gallery Deschler, Berlin, Germany, 2006 * ''LUST'', Edition Salomé, Berlin, Germany, 2006 * ''Wunschbilder'', Gallery Deschler, Berlin, 2008

Life

Exhibitions (selection)

Books

Catalogues (selection)

References

External links