New Leipzig School

— July 18, 2020 by YIART

Leipzig is the most populous city in Germany. She has not only been an industry center, but also major centers of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing. Writer Goethe, philosopher Nietzsche, Musician Bach were once based in Leipzig. Nowadays, Leipzig has become a city of fairs. The abandoned factories have turned into cultural parks, like PILOTENKUECHE and Spinnerei. These parks provide residency opportunities to artists, and welcome everyone to visit.

Speaking of Leipzig, it must introduce the school of Leipzig which was given a name after the city. When World War II was over, Germany was cut between the two global blocs in the East and West. Being in the East bloc, Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig cannot get in touch with the Western modern art, so the faculty could only develop on their own teaching systems. For example, the students took years to learn basic skills, like sketching, painting, colors applying and so on. Gradually, they had their own art styles. When the main members participated in the 6th Kassel Documenta, they blew up the art world. As the founders of Leipzig School, Bernhard Heisig (1925-2011), Werner Tübke (1929-2004), and Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927-2004) had different styles. Bernhard Heisig deeply reflected the violence and wars. Tübke had the styles of German traditions and expressionism. Mattheuer painted styles with realism. Their students, Sighard Gille (1941-) and Arno Rink (1940-2017) can be seen as the second generation of the Leipzig School.。

In 1989, Berlin Wall fell, Leipzig once became the city of the artist. As the third generation of the Leipzig School, Neo Rauch combined social realism and Western art movement, reflected the history and the new term, New Leipzig School, had come out. Others, who have been associated with the term include Weischer (1973), David Schnell (1971-), Christoph Ruckhaberle (1972), Tilo Baumgartel (1972), Tim Eitel (1971-), and Martin Kobe (1973-).

“His words, few, but full of power, take us, as if by magic – a magic that has much to do with his painting – back to an atrocious and clownish reign of shadows, of suspicions, of latent menace, of phantasmagorias... More than once, when standing before his paintings, I think of those years. To give an example, when standing before Platz (2000)”by J. Manuel Bonet

Neo Rauch’s highest record work is “Platz (Square), 2000”. The work was sold for GBP 1 million (about 50 million NTD) at London Christies Spring Sale in 2014.

Since 2000, Neo Rauch has been represented by David Zwirner, and he soon becomes a popular artist among the world. His works are collected by public organizations such as Hamburger Kunsthalle in Hamburg, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen in Germany, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, The Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was Professor at the Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig until 2014, and now works and lives in Leipzig.

 

Leipziger Baumwollspinnerei

Venue: Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Spinnereistraße 7, 04179 Leipzig

PILOTENKUECHE

Venue:Franz-Flemming-Str. 9, 2nd floor, D-04179 Leipzig

Fugitif

Venue:Fugitif, 51. Josephstrasse, 04177 Leipzig

Figure 1:Neo Rauch, Dromos, 1993, oil on canvas, 250 x 198,5 cm, private collection © Neo Rauch / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn. (Photograph: Uwe Walter, Berlin).

Figure 2 left:Tim Eitel, Schwarzer Sand

signed, titled and dated 'EITEL 2004 SCHWARZER SAND' (on the reverse)

oil on linen, 259.7 x 189.9 cm. Painted in 2004. © Galerie EIGEN + Art, Leipzig

Figure 2 right top:Neo Rauch_Der nächste Zug (The Next Move) © ArtStack

Figure 2 right bottom:Neo Rauch, Platz (Square), 2000, 藝術家個人拍賣最高紀錄, Courtesy of Christies