Michael Werner Presents a Comprehensive Look at the Art of A.R. Penck
The exhibition is in its final week at the gallery’s London outpost.
A.R. Penck was a German artist best known for his neo-primitive figurations that challenged the relationship between man and society. London’s Michael Werner Gallery is in its final week of showing a comprehensive look into Penck’s influential practice.
“A.R. Penck – Systems: Felt Works and Paintings” presents a range of paintings and drawings, alongside seldom seen sculptures on display for the first time in the UK. Hailed by many as one of the greatest artists to come out of post-war Germany, Penck was no stranger to oppression and deprivation. Growing up in Dresden, he experienced multiple bombings and would live in Germany for several decades after. Entirely self-taught, Penck sought to emulate work by master artists, such as Rembrandt and Vincent van Gogh, but would in-turn develop his own visual language that is more in line with prehistoric cave paintings and German Expressionism.
Penck, who passed away in 2017, age 77, noted in the past that music was his other hobby. Amongst his favorite genres, Jazz was a heavy favorite while he worked and it shows through the improvisational nature of his art.
Raised during the aftermath of war, Penck sought to address the social, political and scientific struggles of man through a visual lexicon (he’d later name Standart) that was both universal and accessible. “A.R. Penck – Systems: Felt Works and Paintings” concludes on February 19 at Michael Werner’s London outpost.
Also on view, Rachel Rose unveils Enclosure at Gladstone Gallery.
Michael Werner Gallery
22 Upper Brook St,
London W1K 7PZ,
United Kingdom
