Oliver Mark - Norbert Bisky, Berlin 2007

Norbert Bisky (born 1970) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

artist based in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

. He is one of the most important representatives of a new figurative painting in the 21st century.

Life

Norbert Bisky was born in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

and grew up in the former

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **G ...

as "part of a very

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

family that really believed in all that stuff". From 1994 to 1999 Norbert Bisky studied painting at

Hochschule der Künste The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...

in Berlin where he was a Master Student of

Georg Baselitz Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his subjects upside down in an effort to overcome the ...

and at the Salzburg Summer Academy in the class of

Jim Dine Jim Dine (born June 16, 1935 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American artist whose œuvre extends over sixty years. Dine’s work includes painting, drawing, printmaking (in many forms including lithographs, etchings, gravure, intaglio, woodcuts, l ...

. In 1995, he spent a year as an exchange student in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, where he discovered the works of

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and e ...

, Francisco de Zubaráns and

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (1591 – 1652) was a painter and printmaker, who along with Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artists of Spanish Baroque painting. Referrin ...

. Bisky was a guest professor at the HEAD Academy of arts in Geneva from 2008 to 2010 and from 2016 to 2018 at HBK Braunschweig. In 2015, he swapped studios with

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

based artist Erez Israeli for three months.

Work

Norbert Biskys early paintings are most commonly described as heavily influenced by

socialist realism Socialist realism is a style of idealized realistic art that was developed in the Soviet Union and was the official style in that country between 1932 and 1988, as well as in other socialist countries after World War II. Socialist realism is ch ...

, the official art of the GDR. Comparing the belief in communism to a religion, he processed his childhood memories by painting "those images of paradise" and "false promises" into dazzling bright images of idealized bodies and untouched nature. In later years, Bisky's large-size paintings, often depicting adolescents, increasingly shifted towards darker themes. Personal loss, the experience of terror, travels to Brazil and media reports inspired him to examine subjects such as violence, sexuality and destruction symbolized by figures, in many cases floating, falling or tumbling without any gravitational axis. Firmly established in the public conscience through media images following the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...

, these falling figures explore the transience of youth, the loss of autonomy, isolation and the disintegration of modern civilization. The aesthetic tumult surrounding the figures is punctuated by the cross pollination of cues from Christian ideology, art history, gay culture, pornography and apocalyptic visions. Through this, Bisky transmits an impression of instability on the canvas that distinctly resonates with our contemporary state of affairs. In May 2013, Norbert Bisky created his first stage set for the piece "Masse" by the

Berlin State Ballet The Berlin State Ballet (german: Staatsballett Berlin, links=no, italic=no) is the principal ballet company in the German capital of Berlin. It was created in 2004 through a merger of the separate ballet companies of the city's three opera house ...

that premiered in the legendary Berlin Nightclub

Berghain Berghain () is a nightclub in Berlin, Germany. It is named after its location near the border between Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain in Berlin, and is a short walk from Berlin Ostbahnhof main line railway station.

in May 2013 and was the subject of a TV documentary by German director Nicole Graf. Since May 2017 Norbert Bisky's large-format painting "Vertigo" is prominently displayed in

's entrance hall as part of the club's art concept, which also features works by

Wolfgang Tillmans Wolfgang Tillmans (born 16 August 1968) is a German photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillmans was the first photog ...

and Joseph Marr. For

World Press Freedom Day The United Nations General Assembly declared May 3 to be World Press Freedom Day or just World Press Day, observed to raise awareness of the importance of freedom of the press and remind governments of their duty to respect and uphold the righ ...

, Norbert Bisky created the painting "Rauschen" which was printed on the title page of numerous German daily newspapers, in collaboration with the Federal association of German newspaper publishers (BDZV: Bundesverband Deutscher Zeitungsverleger) on 3 May 2019. Bisky is being represented by König Galerie in Berlin. and by Fabienne Levy Gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Exhibitions

2022 * "Walküren-Basislager",

Staatsoper Stuttgart The Staatsoper Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Opera) is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The Staatsorchester Stuttgart serves as its resident orchestra. History Performances of operas, ballet an ...

, Stuttgart, Germany * "Mirror Society",

SCAD Museum of Art The SCAD Museum of Art was founded in 2002 as part of the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia, and originally was known as the Earle W. Newton Center for British American Studies. The museum's permanent collection of more than ...

, Savannah, USA 2021 * „DISINFOTAINMENT", G2 Kunsthalle, Leipzig, Germany 2020 * "Unrest", Fabienne Levy Gallery, Lausanne, Switzerland * "Metrocake", KONIG TOKIO, Tokio, Japan * "Berlin Sunday", Le Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France * "Desmadre Berlin", Galerie

Daniel Templon Daniel Templon is a French contemporary art dealer born in 1945. In 1966, he founded his first contemporary art gallery in Paris. Galerie Templon With no artistic background,Georgina Adam (10 June 2016)The Art Market: A dealer with staying power' ...

, Paris France 2019 * "RANT", Villa Schöningen,

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of ...

, Germany / "POMPA", St. Matthäus-Kirche, Berlin, Germany * "Tainted Love/Club Edit", Villa Arson, Nizza, France 2018 * "Fernwärme", Museum Langmatt, Baden, Switzerland * "Hope and Hazard: A Comedy of Eros", curated by Eric Fischl, Hall Art Foundation, Reading, USA * "Boezemvriend" (with Grit Hachmeister), Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands 2017 * "Trilemma", König Galerie, Berlin, Germany * "Die Revolution ist tot. Lang lebe die Revolution!",

Kunstmuseum Bern The Museum of Fine Arts Bern (German: ''Kunstmuseum Bern''), established in 1879 in Bern, is the museum of fine arts of the de facto capital of Switzerland. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Paul Klee, Pabl ...

, Bern, Switzerland * "MISSING: Der Turm der blauen Pferde by Franz Marc – Contemporary artists in search of a lost masterpiece", Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany 2016 * "Dies Irae", Crone Wien, Vienna, Austria * "A FUGA", Galeria Baró, São Paulo, Brazil * "Elective Affinities – German Art Since The Late 1960s",

Latvian National Museum of Art The Latvian National Museum of Art ( lv, Latvijas Nacionālais mākslas muzejs) is the richest collection of national art in Latvia. It houses more than 52,000 works of art reflecting the development of professional art in the Baltic area and i ...

, Riga, Latvia * "Zeitgeist – Arte da Nova Berlim",

Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil The Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil (CCBB, in English: ''Bank of Brazil Cultural Center'') is a cultural organization of the Bank of Brazil based in Brazil with centers in Belo Horizonte, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The CCBB began i ...

, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2015 * "Hérésie", Galerie

, Brussels, Belgium * "Levinsky Street", Givon Art Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel * "Balagan", Bötzow Berlin, Berlin, Germany * "Black Bandits", Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany 2014 * "Zentrifuge",

Kunsthalle Rostock The Rostock Art Gallery (german: Kunsthalle Rostock) was opened on 15 May 1969 as a museum of contemporary art in Rostock in the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. It is in the grounds of the park around the Schwanenteich lake in t ...

, Rostock, Germany * "Works on Paper", Galerie

, Paris, France * "Riots", Galería Espacio Mínimo, Madrid, Spain * "10",

, Berlin, Germany * "Utopie Picturale 2", Fonderie Kugler, Geneva, Switzerland 2013 * "Norbert Bisky: Special Report", MEWO Kunsthalle, Memmingen, Germany * "Paraisópolis", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany 2012 * "Stampede", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA * "I am a Berliner",

Tel Aviv Museum of Art Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( he, מוזיאון תל אביב לאמנות ''Muzeon Tel Aviv Leomanut'') is an art museum in Tel Aviv, Israel. The museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of modern and contemporary art from Israel and aro ...

, Tel Aviv, Israel * "Laboratories of the Senses", MARTa Herford, Herford, Germany 2011 * "A Retrospective. Ten Years Of Painting", Kunsthalle Marcel Duchamp, Cully, Switzerland * "Decompression", Galerie

, Paris, France 2010 * "befall", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany * "Maudit", Galerie Charlotte Moser, Geneva, Switzerland 2009 * "Mandelkern", Kunstverein Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany * "crossing jordaan", Cokkie Snoei, Rotterdam und Amsterdam, Netherlands * "Nefasto Máximo", Galería Espacio Mínimo, Madrid, Spain * "Norbert Bisky: Paintings", Haifa Museum of Art, Haifa, Israel 2008 * "cloud cuckoo land", Gallery Mirchandani + Steinruecke, Mumbai, India * "privat", Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany * "minimental", Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam 2007 * "Ich war's nicht", Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany * "What's wrong with me", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA * "Behind Innocence", Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, South Korea 2006 * "Total Care", Contemporary Art Center, Vilnius, Lithuania * "es tut mir so leid", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany 2005 * "Norbert Bisky", Studio d'Arte Cannaviello, Milan, Italy * "Déluge", Galerie Suzanne Tarasiève, Paris, France * "Malerei", Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany 2004 * "The Proud, the Few", Leo Koenig Inc., New York, USA * "Abgesagt", Mannheimer Kunstverein, Mannheim, Germany * "Opkomst en Verval", Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands 2003 * "Schlachteplatte", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany 2002 * "Norbert Bisky", Museum Junge Kunst, Frankfurt/Oder, Germany 2001 * "Wir werden siegen", Galerie Michael Schultz, Berlin, Germany * "Almauftrieb",

Kulturbrauerei The Berlin Kulturbrauerei (literally "Culture Brewery") is a building complex in Berlin, Germany. Originally built and operated as a brewery, its courtyards and unique architecture have been protected as a monument since 1974 and it is one of ...

Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany * "Vorkämpfer", Chelsea Kunstraum, Cologne, Germany

Public collections

MoMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...

Museum der bildenden Künste The Museum der bildenden Künste (German: "Museum of Fine Arts") is a museum in Leipzig, Saxony, Germany. It covers artworks from the Late Middle Ages to Modernity. History Museum Foundation and First Museum The museum dates back to the fo ...

, Leipzig, Germany *

Museum Ludwig Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lic ...

, Cologne, Germany * National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea * Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France *

* The MER Collection, Segovia, Spain * Museum Junge Kunst, Frankfurt/Oder, Germany * Burger Collection, Hong Kong * Ellipse Foundation, Portugal * Deutsche Bank Collection, Frankfurt, Germany * Hall Art Foundation *

Palm Springs Art Museum The Palm Springs Art Museum (formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum) was founded in 1938, and is a regional art, natural science and performing arts institution for Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United St ...

* G2 Kunsthalle, Leipzig, Germany *

Israel Museum The Israel Museum ( he, מוזיאון ישראל, ''Muze'on Yisrael'') is an art and archaeological museum in Jerusalem. It was established in 1965 as Israel's largest and foremost cultural institution, and one of the world’s leading encyclopa ...

, Jerusalem *

Berlinische Galerie The Berlinische Galerie is a museum of modern art, photography and architecture in Berlin. It is located in Kreuzberg, on Alte Jakobstraße, not far from the Jewish Museum. History The Berlinische Galerie was founded in 1975

, Berlin, Germany

Notes

Sources

*Mullins, Charlotte (2006). ''Painting People: Figure Painting Today''. New York: