HEREDIUM, the leading multicultural space in Daejeon, Korea, opens Markus Lüpertz: Sins, Myths, and Other Questions on 1 September 2024. The exhibition features a selection from four decades of the legendary artist’s fundamental body of work, which rethinks “the very concept of painting and sculpture through reinterpretations of ancient Greek mythology.” His ideas and inspiration are often rooted in the history of painting and its modes of presentation, consistently refined as he continues to reinvent classicism and engage with tradition.
Markus Lüpertz, “Die sieben Todsünden und drei Fragen (Hochmut) [The Seven Deadly Sins and Three Questions (Pride)]”, 2021
Mixed media on canvas in artist’s frame, 59 x 59 inches (150 x 150 cm)
“For Markus Lüpertz, painting is an action that confronts a crisis. He boldly breaks taboos, such as those that have become mental restraints. It is his responsibility as an artist to look history in the eye.”
Dr. Qilan Shen, July 2024
“For Markus Lüpertz, painting is an action that confronts a crisis. He boldly breaks taboos, such as those that have become mental restraints. It is his responsibility as an artist to look history in the eye.”
Dr. Qilan Shen, July 2024
Left: Markus Lüpertz “Das Gebet im Wald (Prayer in the Forest)”, 2017, Mixed media on canvas in artist’s frame, 32 x 39 1/4 inches (81 x 100 cm)
Right: Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, “The Woodcutters”, 1871-1873, Oil on canvas, 30 x 44 inches (76 x 112 cm), San Antonio Museum of Art
Lüpertz recontextualizes imagery with deep cultural and personal resonance, often culling from the work of past artists, such as motifs by Nicolas Poussin and Pieter Breughel (on display here). Merging this interest in both art history and narrative, old master paintings and allegorical themes like Ovid’s Odyssey, Arcadia, and reimagined depictions of Daphne or Hercules are central themes in these works.
“Arcadia, as commonly understood, embodies a fictional realm of tranquility and utopia. It conjures visions of a dream world, serene and idyllic—an aesthetic ideal. My work on the canvas involves transforming this idyll, and then to see to what extent this is should adopted or turned into war.”
Prof. Markus Lüpertz, Berlin, July 2024
Left: Nicolas Poussin, “Landscape with Saint John on Patmos”, 1640, Oil on canvas, 39 1/2 x 53 3/4 inches (100.5 x 136.5 cm), The Art Institute of Chicago
Right: Markus Lüpertz, “Landschaft (nach Poussin) [Landscape (after Poussin)]”, 1989, Oil on canvas in artist’s frame, 51 1/4 x 65 inches (130 x 165 cm)
Following his early career “German Motif” series that garnered great controversy and attention when they were first displayed, Lüpertz’s work continues to question and reflect on the certainty of truth—and the constant contention between collective memory and the shadows of history, as Dr. Shen explains in her catalogue essay. “History and memory linger in people’s thoughts in some form of symbols. Lüpertz created his own iconography: helmets, uniforms, wheat ears—these powerful images summon the memory of history and question the conscience of people today. History is inescapable and must be confronted and faced directly to find redemption from crisis.”
Left: Markus Lüpertz, “Der Pass (P. B.) [The Passage (P.B.)]”, 2022, Oil on canvas in artist’s frame, 51 1/4 x 74 3/4 inches (130 x 190 cm)
Right: After Pieter Brugel the Elder, “Alpine Landscape with a Deep Valley (The Large Landscapes)”, ca. 1555-1556, Etching, engraving on paper, 14 x 17 1/2 inches (34.5 x 44.5 cm)
“There is no answer in visual art. There is only belief: questions, and belief. Nothing more is possible. Because whether it is good or bad, centuries later will decide if it’s lasting. That's the risk of the profession.”
Prof. Markus Lüpertz, Berlin, July 2024
Left: Markus Lüpertz, “Die Karawane (P. B.) [The Caravan (P.B.)]”, 2022, Oil on canvas in artist’s frame, 51 1/4 x 74 3/4 inches (130 x 190 cm)
Right: Markus Lüpertz “Kopf der Daphne (Head of Daphne)”, 2003, Bronze, From an edition of 6 + 1 AP, Each hand-painted, 37 1/2 x 27 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches (95 x 70 x 70 cm)
“I have a very large library, and I like to sit and leaf through art books and inform myself about what has been painted. Simply as an uninformed, as a buccaneer of education, as I see myself, I have a great need for knowledge. And so, I occupy myself with it. Then I come across things that interest me.”
Prof. Markus Lüpertz, Berlin, July 2024
Markus Lüpertz was born in 1941 in East Germany and fled with his family to West Germany shortly after World War II. He studied art at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, one of Germany's prestigious art institutions. In his seven-decade career, he has held numerous exhibitions around the world, including recent surveys at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, the Hirshhorn Museum & Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C, and the Musée d Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris. Since the 1980s, he has expanded his artistic activities beyond painting to include sculpture, stage design, poetry, and jazz piano. Since 2003, he has also been a writer and editor for the journal "Frau und Hund," which he personally publishes.
Markus Lüpertz
“Daphne”, 2020
Mixed media on canvas in artist’s frame
39 1/4 x 32 inches
100 x 81 cm
ML 2395
Markus Lüpertz
“Nymphe II (Nymph II)”, 2022
Oil on canvas in artist’s frame
39 1/2 x 31 1/2 inches
100 x 80 cm
ML 2506
Markus Lüpertz
“Rotes Tuch (Red Cloth)”, 2020
Mixed media on canvas in artist’s frame
39 1/4 x 32 inches
100 x 81 cm
ML 2399
Markus Lüpertz
“Europa mit Boot (Europa with Boat)”, 2020
Mixed media on board in artist’s frame
37 x 45 inches
94 x 114 cm
ML 2418
Markus Lüpertz
“Venus”, 2020
Mixed media, collage on board in artist’s frame
18 x 32 inches
46 x 81 cm
ML 2440
Markus Lüpertz
“Siethen See Venus (Siethan Lake Venus)”, 2020
Mixed media on canvas in artist’s frame
32 x 39 1/4 inches
81 x 100 cm
ML 2417
Markus Lüpertz
“Ulysses”, 2013
Bronze
From an edition of 6 + 2 APs
Each hand-painted
53 1/4 x 17 3/4 x 13 inches
135 x 45 x 33 cm
MLP 268/1
Markus Lüpertz
“Philosoph (Philosopher)”, 2010
Bronze
From an edition of 6 + 1 AP
Each hand-painted
26 1/2 x 7 3/4 x 7 3/4 inches
67 x 19 x 18 cm
MLP 245
Markus Lüpertz
“Poseidon”, 2017
Bronze, wax
From an edition of 6 + 1 AP
23 x 8 3/4 x 6 1/4 inches
58.5 x 22 x 16 cm
MLP 334/0