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IMAGES

Konrad KLAPHECK

BIOGRAPHY

BIOGRAPHY

Georges Goldfayn et Konrad Klapheck

Konrad Klapheck and Georges Goldfayn 

courtesy Galerie Berthet-Aittouarès

Konrad Klapheck (1935 - 2023) was a major figure in Surrealism and German Pop Art. Born in Düsseldorf, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and turned to painting.

From his debut in the 1950s, he was interested in representing day-to-day objects, often symbols of modernity, such as typewriters, telephones, locks... These objects, meticulously reproduced and placed out of any context, seem to evade any attempt at comprehension.

From the 1970s onwards, Klapheck toys with perceptions, blurring the boundaries between reality and the imaginary. His paintings are filled with enigmatic elements, distorted figures and impossible architectures. He creates dreamlike worlds where the rational mingles with the odd.

From 1997 onwards, Klapheck introduces the human figure into his practice. His nudes, often inspired by ancient erotic photographs, explore themes of desire, sexuality and vulnerability. These images, like those of objects, are imbued with an unsettling ambiguity and strangeness.

Klapheck's body of work is rooted in a tradition of realistic painting which he then subverts. With great technique, he depicts his objects in a hyper-realistic manner, before rerouting them from their customary function, thus exploring the mysteries of perception, consciousness and desire. A prolific artist, he has explored a variety of media, from painting to printmaking as well as sculpture. His lifetime achievement has been acclaimed by critics and the general public alike, and can now be found in major international collections.

Konrad Klapheck passed away in 2023, leaving behind a rich and fascinating artistic legacy.

EXHIBITIONS

2019

- Venus ex machina, Musée des Beaux-Arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds, France

2017

- Derrière le rideau, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

2010

- Swing, Brother, Swing, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

2008

- Correspondances Konrad Klapheck - Gustave Moreau, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France

2005

- Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Strasbourg, France

- Villa Klapheck, Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

2004

- Rien ne presse / Slow and steady / Festina lente, Musée d'art moderne et contemporain, Geneva, Switzerland

2002

- Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany

1999

- Konrad Klapheck, portraits, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany

- Galerie Heiko Andreas, Düsseldorf, Germany

1998

- Château de Jau, France

1997

- Galerie Lelong, Paris, France

1996

- Galerie Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland

1995

- Galerie Brusberg, Berlin, Germany

1993

- Edward Thorp, New York, USA

1992

- Galerie Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland

1991

- Wolfgang Wittrock Kunsthandel, Düsseldorf, Germany

1990

- Galerie Lelong, Paris, France & Zurich, Switzerland

1986

- Kunsthalle, Tübingen, Germany

- Staatsgalerie für moderne Kunst, Munich, Germany

1985

- Galerie Maeght Lelong, Paris, France

- Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany

1984

- Gallery Thomas Levy, Hamburg, Germany

1982

- Galerie Aimé Maeght, Paris, France

1980

- Galerie Aimé Maeght, Paris, France

- Wolfgang Wittrock Kunsthandel, Düsseldorf, Germany

1977

- Gallery Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne, Germany

1976

- Gallery Ernst Beyeler, Basel, Switzerland

- Jasa Fine Arts, Munich, Germany

1975

- Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Belgium

- Städtische Kunsthalle, Düsseldorf, Germany

1974

- Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Rotterdam, Holland

1972

- Gallery Arturo Schwarz, Milano, Italy

- Gallery La Medusa, Rome, Italy

1971

- Gallery Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne, Germany

1969

- Sidney Janis Gallery, New York, USA

1968

- Gallery Arturo Schwarz, Milano, Italy

1967

- Kunst und Museumsverein, Wuppertal, Germany

- Kunst und Kunstgewerbeverein, Pforzheim, Germany

1966

- Société Kestner, Hanover, Germany

1965

- Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris, France

- Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles, Belgium

1964

- Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany

- Robert Fraser Gallery, London, UK

1963

- Gallery Arturo Schwarz, Milano, Italy

- Gallery Rudolf Zwirner, Cologne, Germany

1962

- Gallery Rudolf Zwirner, Essen, Germany

1960

- Gallery Arturo Schwarz, Milano, Italy

 

1959

- Gallery Alfred Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany

EXHIBITIONS

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