Markus Lüpertz' Metamorphoses of World History at the Albertina Museum

Written by Adolph Kliener Wednesday, 07 March 2012 21:47

VIENNA.- Markus Lüpertz, born in 1941, has been one of Germany’s most important contemporary artists on the international scene for quite some time now. The presentation focuses on central themes of his oeuvre and, with its retrospective approach, offers a fascinating introduction into the creative process pursued by the painter, graphic artist, and sculptor: it highlights his “German Motifs,” his nudes, and his exploration of subjects from the canon of classical art and cultural history in a representative selection of about 100 works and seven bozzetti for the sculpture Daphne (2002–2005).

Marking key positions in Markus Lüpertz’s oeuvre, about fifteen hitherto rarely presented monumental works on cardboard dating from the 1960s and after constitute the core of the exhibition. Spanning to current work groups, the show especially considers the artist’s cross-media principle of composition.

Painter and sculptor Markus Lupertz attended the School of Applied Arts in Krefeld and the State Art Academy in Duesseldorf from 1956 to 1961. In 1976 he became professor at the State Academy of Visual Arts in Karlsruhe, and in 1986 was named director of the Duesseldorf Academy.

After moving to Berlin in 1963, Lupertz developed a style he termed "dithyrambic painting," an expressive, figurative approach that stood in stark contrast to the abstract tendencies of the day. In 1970 his compositions began to take on the character of still lifes, being based on objects such as soldiers' helmets, snail shells, coats, and painter's palettes. These motifs called up manifold associations from the history of art and ideas, as well as containing direct political references.

For Markus Lüpertz, closing in on the world as an artist is a permanent process. The objects he depicts and the subjects he explores, which strike us because of their sculptural power, turn into symbols of archaic monumentality. Lüpertz insists on capturing his motifs with an archetypical statement on their existence. This may be achieved by focusing on everyday subjects like in his early “dithyrambic pictures” or “German Motifs” or by exploring the pictorial worlds of outstanding masters of the past such as Courbet or Poussin, be pivoted on stories and figures of antiquity like Daphne or the Three Graces, or concern certain traditional genres like landscapes and nudes or such problems as contrapposto.

The dialogue begins with drawings and sketches circling and ensnaring the motif or subject in question. Lüpertz meticulously fathoms his subjects’ forms, their shadowy hollows, and mountains of light, condensing them until they, having completed their metamorphosis, emerge from their pupae. The variations and repetitions constitute series which, presenting themselves in film-like parades, as it were, evidence the processual character of Lüpertz’s production.

History

The relationship between the Albertina and the United States has always been a special one. The fact that the most important day in American history, 4th July 1776, Independence Day, also happens to be the date of birth of the latter-day Albertina, is of almost mythical significance.

On this very day, Conte Durazzo, advisor and collector of art, on behalf of duke Albert of Saxony-Teschen, handed over the first selection of prints to the latter in Venice, thereby forming the basis for today’s famous collection.

The palace housing the Albertina, rises on Augustinerbastei in the historical center of Vienna, on one of the last surviving remainders of the city's fortification built after the Turkish siege in 1529.

The Collection

The Albertina is home to the famous graphic collection of Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen. It includes 60,000 drawings and one million prints, - among them Dürer's "Hare" and his "Hands folded for prayer", - Rubens' children studies and master pieces by Schiele, Cezanne, Klimt, Kokoschka, Picasso and Rauschenberg.

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