ZWOLLE.- Neo Rauch (b. Leipzig, 1960) is one of the most important artists of today. His work, which took the art world by storm, is entirely out of step with the apparently predictable rhythm of developments in the arts over the past few decades. 65 works by Rauch from international collections are on display at Museum de Fundatie from 21 January 2018.

Neo Rauch studied with Arno Rink at the renowned Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, at a time when Germany and Europe were still divided. As a result of the focus on painting in Leipzig, the art that emerged from there was isolated from the trends in the art world. The work of Neo Rauch broke out of that isolation, and has been attracting international acclaim since the 1990s.

Neo Rauch’s complex paintings transport the viewer to an apparently familiar world where, on closer inspection, the feeling of familiarity soon disappears to be replaced by confusion, and sometimes unease. Human existence in all its facets, in interaction and in isolation, washes over us in a host of forms, often rooted in the Central Europe of yesteryear.

Neo Rauch fills his paintings with dream images, visions, guides and companions. The dynamic of his paintings connects with our feel for life. They become part of us, housemates, as if they breathed, inspiring ideas on a daily basis thanks to their unavoidable or comforting presence. Neo Rauch’s work celebrates the power of art and painting, and elevates looking at paintings to a basic human need.

Neo Rauch Dromos Painting 1993-2017 is a retrospective that begins with his first solo show at Galerie Eigen + Art in Leipzig in 1993, and then meticulously traces the development of his work to the present day. The title of the exhibition is taken from one of his earliest paintings. Dromos is a concept from Ancient Egypt, signifying the road flanked by sphinxes that led to the temple. The exhibition will also include paintings from Neo Rauch and Rosa Loy’s private collection ‘Perlmutt’, underlining the private nature of the exhibition.

A catalogue in German, English and Dutch will be published by Hatje Cantz to accompany the exhibition. With texts by Ralph Keuning, Harald Kunde, Ulf Küster, Norman Rosenthal en Klaus Werner (144 pp., 73 images, softcover with dust jacket, price ca. € 25,00, ISBN 978-3-7757-4381-5)

Museum de Fundatie owns and manages a vast collection, based on the art collection of Dirk Hannema. Artists who are represented include Joseph Mallord, William Turner, Antonio Canova, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Franz Marc, Francis Picabia, Piet Mondrian, Marino Marini, Karel Appel and Neo Rauch.