Michael Werner Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of recent paintings by the German artist, A.R. Penck (b. 1939).
A prolific artist in various media, this exhibition presents recent paintings that further explore A.R. Penck's interest in visual systems of communication and information. These works build on A.R. Penck's knowledge of cybernetics, information theories, behavioral sciences, political and social systems and non-Western traditions of art, topics which have fueled A.R. Penck's art since the 1960s and his important 'Standart'works of the early 1970s. A.R. Penck's recent paintings address the relations between individuals and society, and the political and social structures that control them. Comprised of brusquely rendered abstract and representational pictographs, the expressive, even primitive appearance of A.R. Penck's pictorial language belies the paintings' deeply conceptual underpinnings.
Born Ralf Winkler in Dresden in 1938, A.R. Penck continued to live in East Germany until 1980. His prolific work in sculpture, painting and drawing has drawn him international renown, including numerous museum and gallery exhibitions. The works of A.R. Penck are represented in major public and private collections in the United States and Europe, and have been featured in the biennials at Venice and São Paulo and Documenta V, VI, VII and IX.
'A.R. Penck: Recent Paintings'will be on view from 18 September through 2 November 2002. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m.
A full-color catalogue will accompany the exhibition.
