Konrad KLAPHECK
BIOGRAPHY
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.
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