Clemens Weiss (born 1955) is a German artist living in the United States.

Youth and Education

Clemens Weiss grew up in the Region of the Lower Rhine Valley where he received technical training in mechanical engineering from 1970 to 1973. From 1977 to 1982, he studied art, philosophy, medicine and geology in

Krefeld Krefeld ( , ; li, Krieëvel ), also spelled Crefeld until 1925 (though the spelling was still being used in British papers throughout the Second World War), is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, i ...

and

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

(Germany], and

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

(Austria). Beginning in 1974, he also worked as an independent artist. In 1983 he moved to the small town of

Süchteln Süchteln is a borough (''Stadtbezirk'') of Viersen, a town which is the centre of the ''Districts of Germany, Kreis'' of Viersen in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Süchteln was formerly an independent town; the Catholic parish church of Pope Cl ...

in Germany in order to concentrate on his own philosophical and visual work. Since 1986 he has maintained a studio in

Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladbac ...

in Germany (where he finished and documented his body of work) and, in 1987, moved to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

where he established his main studio and residence.

Work and Projects

Weiss is represented by the Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York and had his first exhibition there in 1988. Since then, he has exhibited in galleries, art foundations and museums, often in conjunction with lectures and panels, and has shown many other art, theater and public sculptural projects in the United States and in Europe. Clemens Weiss has also acted as curator of large transatlantic arts and media projects, including a project for the German publication Juni (which was also published in a New York edition for the occasion), that consisted of an exhibition in Germany of specially-created print editions by New York artists in 1991. He is engaged in international cultural exchange to oppose the large dangers threatening mankind. His sculpture ''Regarding Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon'' was permanently installed in 1996 at the

Palace of Nations The Palace of Nations (french: Palais des Nations, ) is the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was built between 1929 and 1938 to serve as the headquarters of the League of Nations. It has served ...

(UN) in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, as an official present from the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

. The sculpture consists of a group of

stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...

s with forty-two handwritten texts related to international nuclear treaties and covers the complexity of the nuclear age until 1995, the year the sculpture was finished. Weiss investigates, and attempts by means of

Installation Installation may refer to: * Installation (computer programs) * Installation, work of installation art * Installation, military base * Installation, into an office, especially a religious (Installation (Christianity) Installation is a Christian li ...

and other groups of works, to bridge the different disciplines of art and philosophy. His installations are transparent glass constructions that often contain drawings, text, paintings, and objects and he uses a similar technique in his theater productions. Clemens Weiss lives and works in New York City.Armin Kaumanns: ''Clemes Weiss bricht sein Basislager ab''. In: ''

Rheinische Post ''Rheinische Post'' is a major German regional daily newspaper published since 1946 by the ''Rheinische Post Verlagsgesellschaft GmbH'' company, and headquartered in Düsseldorf. The Post is especially dominant in the western part of North Rhine- ...

'' of 8 January 2013]

Individual exhibitions (selection)

* 2020 Gartenpavillon im Malkasten Park, Duesseldorf/Germany * 2019 Galerie H1 Hoehr-Grenzhausen/Germany * 2019 Kunstraum No.10 Moenchengladbach/Germany * 2013 Galerie Kabuth, Gelsenkirchen, (Germany) * 2012 Leibnitz University, Hanover, (Germany) * 2011 Galleria Cortina, Milan, (Italy) * 2011 Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf (Germany) * 2010 Redline Foundation Milwaukee, Wisconsin * 2008 Kunstverein Herzogenrath, Germany * 2007

Ronald Feldman Fine Arts Ronald Feldman (1938-2022) was an American art dealer and advocate for the arts, especially contemporary performance and conceptual art. Biography Ira Ronald Feldman was born in the Bronx to Irving and Judith (Solon) Feldman on April 25, 1938. H ...

, New York * 2004 Galerie Bernd Lutze, Friedrichshafen (Germany) * 2004 kunstraumno.10, Mönchengladbach (Germany) * 2002 Kunstraum Syltquelle,

Sylt Sylt (; da, Sild; Sylt North Frisian, Söl'ring North Frisian: ) is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian ...

* 1998 Museum Bochum,

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous Germany, German federal state o ...

(Germany) * 1996

(Switzerland) * 1994 Galerie Seippel,

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

(Germany) * 1992 Neuer Aachener Kunstverein,

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

(Germany) * 1989 Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, Cologne * 1989

Art Cologne Art Cologne is an art fair held annually in Cologne, Germany and was established in 1967 as ''Kölner Kunstmarkt''. It is regarded as the world's oldest art fair of its kind. The fair runs for six days and brings together galleries from more than ...

, Förderkoje Galerie Lohrl, Cologne (Germany) * 1989 Anderson Gallery,

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

, Richmond (USA)

Group exhibitions (selection)

* 2021 Royal Danish Academy, Bornholm Art Museum and Grønbechs Gård * 2021 Osthaus Museum, Hagen/Germany * 2013

Owens Art Gallery Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

, New Brunswick, (Canada) * 2012 Boulder Museum of Art, Boulder, Colorado * 2009 RedLine Foundation, Denver/Colorado * 2008 Kunst: Raum Syltquelle Rantum/Sylt (Germany) * 2006 Suermond-Ludwig Museum, Aachen (Germany) * 2005 Glaspalast, Heerlen, (Netherlands) * 2004 Schick Art Gallery, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY * 2001

Folkwang Museum Museum Folkwang is a major collection of 19th- and 20th-century art in Essen, Germany. The museum was established in 1922 by merging the Essener Kunstmuseum, which was founded in 1906, and the private Folkwang Museum of the collector and pat ...

, Essen. ''(Neuerwerbungen)'' (Germany) * 2001 Museum Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen. ''(Darlings)'' (Germany) * 2000

Expo 2000 Expo 2000 was a World Expo held in Hanover, Germany from 1 June to 31 October 2000. It was located on the Hanover Fairground (Messegelände Hannover), which is the largest exhibition ground in the world. Initially some 40 million people were expe ...

, Hannover. ''(post editionen)'' (Germany) * 1999

Neue Nationalgalerie The Neue Nationalgalerie (New National Gallery) at the Kulturforum is a museum for modern art in Berlin, with its main focus on the early 20th century. It is part of the National Gallery of the Berlin State Museums. The museum building and its ...

, Berlin ''(Das XX. Jahrhundert – 100 Jahre Kunst in Deutschland)'' * 1991

Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst The Ludwig Forum for International Art is a museum for modern art in Aachen. It is based on the Ludwig Collection, which was brought together by the Aachen collector couple Irene and Peter Ludwig, and is supported by the Peter and Irene Ludwig Fou ...

, Aachen. ''(Transzendenz/Transparenz)''

Collections

Clemens Weiss has works in the collections of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

(Essen),

Hamburger Bahnhof Hamburger Bahnhof is the former terminus of the Berlin–Hamburg Railway in Berlin, Germany, on Invalidenstrasse in the Moabit district opposite the Charité hospital. Today it serves as a contemporary art museum, the , part of the Berlin Nati ...

(Berlin),

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

(The Spencer Collection),

Pushkin Museum The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (russian: Музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина, abbreviated as ) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just oppo ...

(Moscow),

(Geneva),

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

(Art Museum),

Von der Heydt Museum The Von der Heydt Museum is a museum in Wuppertal, Germany. The Von der Heydt Museum includes works by artists from the 17th century to the present time. History The museum is housed in the former city hall of Elberfeld, which in 1902 became a ...

(Wuppertal, Germany) and

Wadsworth Atheneum The Wadsworth Atheneum is an art museum in Hartford, Connecticut. The Wadsworth is noted for its collections of European Baroque art, ancient Egyptian and Classical bronzes, French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School lands ...

, Hartford (USA).

References

* Klaus Fleming: ''Transparenz. Zu den Arbeiten von Clemens Weiss''. In: ''Juni. Magazin für Kultur und Politik''. Nr.2–3/89. Mönchengladbach 1989, * Walter Delabar: ''Aus meinem Aquarium. Clemens Weiss packt die Welt in Glaskästen'' In: ''Juni. Magazin für Kultur und Politik''. Nr.2–3/89. Mönchengladbach 1989 * Susanne Lingemann: ''Clemens Weiss – Gläserne Schreine der Erkenntnis''. In: ''

art – Das Kunstmagazin ''Art – Das Kunstmagazin'' is a monthly art magazine founded by Wolf Uecker and first published by Gruner + Jahr in 1979. Its original editor-in-chief, Axel Hecht, was replaced by Tim Sommer in 2005. The magazine features both new and estab ...

''. Hamburg, October 1993, * Franz Kotteder: ''10 Welten für sich und für alle''. In: ''

Süddeutsche Zeitung The ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'' (; ), published in Munich, Bavaria, is one of the largest daily newspapers in Germany. The tone of SZ is mainly described as centre-left, liberal, social-liberal, progressive-liberal, and social-democrat. History ...

'' vom 04/09/1997 * ''Clemens Weiss''. In: ''Biographical encyclopedia of American painters, sculptors & engravers of the U.S.'' 2002, * Ken Johnson: ''Clemens Weiss''. In: ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' 11/07/2003 *

Edward Leffingwell Edward G. Leffingwell (December 3, 1941 – August 5, 2014), was an American art critic and curator, affiliated with MoMA/P.S.1 and '' Art in America''Roberta Smith"Edward G. Leffingwell, Curator, Dies at 72"(obituary), ''The New York Times'', Aug ...

, ''Clemens Weiss at Ronald Feldman''. In: ''

Art in America ''Art in America'' is an illustrated monthly, international magazine concentrating on the contemporary art world in the United States, including profiles of artists and genres, updates about art movements, show reviews and event schedules. It i ...

''. no. 1. (January 2008), New York, 127–128,

Notes

External links

Official website

website

Images (Atelier)

Interview (New York Social Diary)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Clemens 1955 births German emigrants to the United States German artists American installation artists Artists from New York (state) 20th-century sculptors 21st-century sculptors Living people