June 30 to October 30, 2016
Following the great success of the BECK exhibition, the caricatura museum frankfurt now once again demonstrates a pleasant versatility with its next presentation. For with the show of works by artist Sebastian Krüger, the museum is presenting a completely different facet of comic art than was the case with BECK. Krüger's internationally acclaimed works can hardly be pigeonholed. As a viewer, one wonders again and again: is the artist now a caricaturing painter or rather a calendar caricaturist? The fact is that his photo-realistic paintings usually allow a completely new, sometimes very revealing view of the portrayed person through rather subtle overdrawings. Especially the portraits of musicians and actors, with their hyper-reality, are an amusing, but in its restraint also very clear statement on the obsession with images and the beauty craze of the entertainment industry.
Sebastian Krüger paints in a very original way, using only canvas or cardboard, brushes, acrylics and colored pencils. He does not use techniques like airbrush, which are often used by artists of photorealism. His portraits are created with a great deal of dedication and emotion - and these are not always positive. According to Krüger, there are definitely some commissioned works that hurt because the person he was supposed to paint simply didn't interest him. Other works, on the other hand, he feels are an absolute enrichment for his artistic work - and you can absolutely see that in these paintings.
The exhibition shows a total of over 200 objects. In addition to the very dominant large-scale paintings, it also includes advertising images, record covers, illustrations, title pages, VHS inlays, caricatures and even bed linen. A film clip allows the visitor to observe the artist at work. This makes it a little easier to gain access to Krüger's work. And so one quickly develops an eye for looking closely at his portraits and discovering the elements that make it possible to recognize the person behind the polished mask. These are often small details that one tends to overlook at first glance due to the photorealistic appearance of the pictures. But if you look more closely, it is as if a curtain is lifted and the familiar faces suddenly appear completely different and somehow more real than you are used to seeing in glossy magazines.
The book "Face2Face" has been published by Lappan-Verlag to accompany the exhibition. The illustrated book presents numerous works on 128 pages, some of which can also be seen as originals in the exhibition. The publisher's promo text perfectly sums up why it's worth getting this great book: "Let's be realistic: the assumption that a culturally interested and educated household can do without this magnificent volume by Sebastian Krüger is completely unrealistic. The Rolling Stones intimate's most breathtaking works are presented here in 128 full-color pages. In short, this deluxe art book is a must-have!" There's simply no better way to put it. The book can be ordered HERE. (Text: Sebastian Betzold)
Further information on the artist:
Sebastian Krüger (* June 30, 1963 in Hameln) is a painter. He studied free painting at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Braunschweig with Prof. Dörfler in the 1980s. Already during his studies he earned his first money by designing record covers. After that, he quickly gained fame with illustrations for magazines such as Stern, Spiegel, Rolling Stone and Playboy. For the satirical magazine Kowalski (1988-1992), he drew a large part of the covers, along with Brösel and Wolfgang Sperzel. In the magazine Capital Krüger published his caricatures regularly on his "Black Pages". These were discontinued in 2003. Krüger again devoted himself entirely to free painting. He created from now on large-format images of modern icons from show business from past to present. Marilyn Monroe, Picasso, Iggy Pop and the Beatles - he painted them all. His more than photo-realistic paintings made him famous beyond the borders of Germany and made him a superstar of New Pop Realism. His works are represented in galleries and art houses worldwide. Among the collectors of Sebastian Krüger's art are the Rolling Stones, with whom he has been friends for years and who are among his favorite subjects.
Since 2005, Krüger has regularly invited people to workshops lasting several days, which are also attended by numerous prominent participants such as the US director Robert Rodriguez. Krüger lives and works near Hanover and in California.
Opening hours Tue-Sun 11am-6pm, Wed 11am-2pm, closed Mon
.Admission 6,-/3,- € reduced
