Anselm Reyle
ANSELM REYLE
Untitled, 2008
Mixed media on canvas, acrylic glass
98 3/8 x 78 3/8 x 9 7/8 inches (250 x 199 x 25 cm)
Reyle's stripe paintings are instantly recognizable as responses to the formalist vocabulary of Clement Greenberg that defined the art of the 1950s and 1960s. Reyle references iconic abstractionists ranging from Kenneth Noland to Otto Freundlich. Reyle's "objets trouvés," a reference to his multi-media installations that include sculpture and found neon lights, are in constant dialogue about the role of modernism today.
Reyle's critique of painting extends to his exploration of the constantly shifting criteria required for a work to be considered complete. He is one of few contemporary German painters examining the lessons of abstraction and their place in contemporary painting at a moment when figurative painting has gained critical momentum.
The artist's past solo exhibitions include shows at the Modern Institute in Glasgow (2007) and Galerie Almine Rech, Paris; one of new sculptures and paintings at Kunsthalle Zurich (2006); Galerie Giti Nourbakhsch, Berlin and Gavin Brown's Enterprise, New York. He has also participated in numerous international group exhibitions including ones at Tate Modern, London and the Palazzo Grassi, Venice, Italy.