Norbert Bisky (born 1970) is a German artist based in Berlin. He is one of the most important representatives of a new figurative painting in the 21st century.

Life

Norbert Bisky was born in Leipzig and grew up in the former

German Democratic Republic East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

as "part of a very

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

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 second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...

in Berlin where he was a Master Student of

Georg Baselitz Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German Painting, painter, Sculpture, sculptor and Graphic arts, graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his Figurative art, figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his ...

and at the Salzburg Summer Academy in the class of

Jim Dine Jim Dine (born June 16, 1935) is an American artist. Dine's work includes painting, drawing, printmaking (in many forms including lithographs, etchings, gravure, intaglio, woodcuts, letterpress, and linocuts), sculpture, and photography. Educ ...

. In 1995, he spent a year as an exchange student in Madrid, where he discovered the works of

Francisco de Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 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, a ...

, Francisco de Zubaráns and

Jusepe de Ribera Jusepe de Ribera (; baptised 17 February 1591 – 3 November 1652) was a Spanish painter and Printmaking, printmaker. Ribera, Francisco de Zurbarán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, and the singular Diego Velázquez, are regarded as the major artist ...

. 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-based artist Erez Israeli for three months.

Work

Norbert Biskys early paintings are most commonly described as heavily influenced by socialist realism, the official art of the

GDR East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

. 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, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, 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 () 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 houses at a time when the city was going through a fina ...

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 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 Fine-art photography, photographer. His diverse body of work is distinguished by observation of his surroundings and an ongoing investigation of the photographic medium’s foundations. Tillman ...

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 Fabienne Levy Gallery in Lausanne, Switzerland. Until 2023, he was also represented by König Galerie in Berlin. Since March 2025, he is represented by Esther Schipper gallery.

Exhibitions

2024 * "Ludology", Galerie Templon, New York 2023 * "Im Freien", Kunstverein Freunde Aktueller Kunst,

Zwickau Zwickau (; ) is the fourth-largest city of Saxony, Germany, after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, with around 88,000 inhabitants,. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ''Zwickauer Mulde''; progression: ), ...

* "Swing State", Navot Miller & Norbert Bisky, Weserhalle, Berlin 2022 * "UTOPIANISTAS", Galerie

Daniel Templon Daniel Templon (born 1945) is a French contemporary art dealer. 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 * "Taumel", König Galerie, Berlin, Germany * "Kurpark", Cokkie Snoei Gallery, Rotterdam, Netherlands * "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 th ...

, 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

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

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and largest city of the Germany, German States of Germany, state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the Havel, River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, 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 Eric Fischl (born March 9, 1948) is an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, draughtsman and educator. He is known for his paintings depicting American suburbia from the 1970s and 1980s. Life Fischl was born in New York City and grew up on s ...

Hall Art Foundation The Hall Art Foundation is an organization, founded in 2007 by Andrew Hall (hedge fund manager), Andrew Hall and Christine Hall, which oversees two Contemporary art, contemporary art museums, one in Vermont and one in Germany, named Kunstmuseum Sch ...

, 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. Collections Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to the present. It houses works by Pa ...

, 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 () is an art museum in Riga, Latvia. It contains the largest collection of national art in Latvia. The museum houses more than 65,000 works of art reflecting the development of professional art in the Baltic a ...

, 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 () 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 the quarter of Reutershagen. ...

, 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 The Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( ''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 both from Israel and around the world. History The Tel Aviv ...

, 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. It is one of the ...

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

Public collections

MoMA The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

Palm Springs Art Museum The Palm Springs Art Museum (formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum) is a visual and performing arts institution with several locations in the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United States, founded in 1938. PSAM has been focu ...

* National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, South Korea *

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

, Jerusalem *

Fonds National d'Art Contemporain The Fonds national d'art contemporain (FNAC; National Foundation for Contemporary Art) is a public collection of contemporary art in France. It does not hold exhibitions but acquires and stores works of art that it loans to museums, cultural instit ...

, Paris, France *

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. The Berlinische Galerie collects art created in Berlin since 1870 with a ...

, Berlin, Germany * Deutsche Bank Collection, Frankfurt, Germany * G2 Kunsthalle, Leipzig, Germany *

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 f ...

, Leipzig, Germany * Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für moderne Kunst, Frankfurt/Oder, 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 * Stiftung Kunstforum der Berliner Volksbank, Berlin, Germany * Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe,

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

, Germany * Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany * Schlossmuseum Murnau,

Murnau am Staffelsee Murnau am Staffelsee (often shortend to Murnau) is a market town in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in the Oberbayern region of Bavaria, Germany. The market originated in the 12th century around Murnau Castle. Murnau is on the edge of t ...

, Germany * Ellipse Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal * The MER Collection, Segovia, Spain

Notes

Sources

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

Distributed Art Publishers D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. is an American company that distributes and publishes books on art, photography, design, and visual culture.

External links

Official websiteInterview with Norbert Bisky in Exberliner MagazineLeo Koenig Inc.: Norbert BiskyHaifa Museum of Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bisky, Norbert 1970 births Living people Artists from Leipzig 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters 21st-century German painters 21st-century German male artists German LGBTQ painters German gay artists Gay painters 20th-century German LGBTQ people 21st-century German LGBTQ people German contemporary artists