Paris — New York

Arnulf Rainer
Ex nihilo

March 17 — May 7, 2022
13 rue de Téhéran, Paris
In Austria in the 1950s, Arnulf Rainer developed a particularly obsessive way of drawing and painting. In 1951, with the artist Maria Lassnig, he visited André Breton in Paris. His work, initially influenced by surrealism, evolved towards a sort of informal, radical art. In the early 1960s, he worked on his own image, furiously modifying photo booth shots, photographic self-portraits where he adopted deliberately grotesque poses. He thus was recognized as one of the main protagonists of Viennese Actionism. Then overpainting (Übermalung) became his trademark: his works are made from successive layers of paint that cover an initial image, sometimes to such an extent that it is no longer visible. This is not just a simple game, but a sort of intense ritual mobilising all the painter’s energy.

The Ex nihilo exhibition gathers the most recent paintings from the artist, today aged 92. A series of prints is also displayed at the bookstore. The catalogue is introduced by Corinna Thierolf, art historian.

Arnulf Rainer was born in 1929 in Baden (Austria) where a museum dedicated to his work opened in 2009. He lives and works in Austria and Tenerife.

Exhibition views

Installation views. © Arnulf Rainer / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.
Installation views. © Arnulf Rainer / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.
Installation views. © Arnulf Rainer / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.
Installation views. © Arnulf Rainer / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.

Visit the exhibition from home

Explore through this virtual visit the exhibition "Ex Nihilo" by Arnulf Rainer at Galerie Lelong & Co., 13 rue de Téhéran, Paris (March 17 - May 7, 2022).