Christoph Ruckhäberle | Liebende Frauen
The gallery is pleased to present Liebende Frauen, a solo show of new works by artist Christoph Ruckhäberle focusing on the painting aspects of his practice.
Christoph Ruckhäberle is known for his ability to make scenarios come alive in his drawings, paintings and prints. Scenes and moments which first appear to be flat are transformed through the artist’s use of expressive body language, gestures, and faces. A focus on geometric patterns and shapes, as well as a thoughtful use of colour gives his work a dynamic and contemporary feeling. In a nod to the history and the style of painting in the 20th century, Ruckhäberle places his figures in classical poses from portraiture sittings as well as in the midst of more social situations and gatherings. Portraying scenes with figures dancing, walking, talking, drinking, fighting, carrying each other, and posing in unexpected ways all come together to create the feeling of movement and to the reinforce the importance the role of the body has within the context of non-verbal communications.
Each work reveals a story, as Christoph Ruckhäberle’s compositions and characters present us with narratives that we are invited to piece together. As such, we are asked to immerse ourselves within each of their worlds, bringing our own perspectives and our own experiences.
This unique and engaging style has put Ruckhäberle at the forefront of the revival of figurative painting in the early 2000s, and he continues to be an inspiration and a reference point for subsequent generations of artists.
Liebende Frauen presents eight large-scale paintings, juxtaposed by four works of a smaller scale. In the large works, interpersonal relationships come into focus, as they feature multiple people interacting with each other in various scenarios. The smaller paintings con- trast these scenes by instead focusing on a single figure in each, creating a very intimate feeling within the work. The two groups of works not only highlight Ruckhäberle’s technical prowess, but his ability to capture the complexity of human engagement.
Christoph Ruckhäberle (b. 1972, Germany) is widely recognized as one of the most innovative painters of today. He has had exhibitions at Wels Stadtgalerie (Wels), Arken (Ishøj), Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Massachusetts), Sammlung Philara (Dusseldorf), Sammlung-Essl (Klosterneuburg), Museum der bildenden Künste (Leipzig) and Museo Nacional de la Estampa (Mexico City) among many others. His works can be found in numerous collections throughout Europe and North America, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Essl Museum – Contemporary Art (Vienna), the Rubell Family Collection (Miami) and Migros museum fur gegenwartskunst (Zurich) among others.
Ruckhäberle is the owner and founder of an arthouse cinema in Leipzig, and also the founder of Lubok Verlag, a publishing house which, over the last fifteen years, has become known worldwide for its art and graphic books.
