German
Basic Data
A.R Penck was one of the most important contemporary artists in Germany. The painter, graphic artist and sculptor became internationally known through the universal sign and symbol language he developed, which is composed of archaic stick figures, animals, or sun and cross signs, among other things, and which he painted mainly in elemental colors with large brushstrokes.
- Born: 5 October 1935
- Place of birth: Dresden, Saxony
- Died: 2 May 2017
- Nationalität: German
- Similar artists: Jörg Immendorff, Georg Baselitz, Sigmar Polke, Markus Lüpertz
- Era: Contemporary art
- Artistic direction: 'Neue Wilde', free figuration
A.R. Penck Art For Sale
A.R. Penck for sale
The Dresden-born artist Ralf Winkler, who became known under the pseudonym A.R. Penck, leaves behind an extensive oeuvre of paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints.
In our online gallery you will find under A.R. Penck artworks and editions a selection of original prints of the East German painter.
Currently you can find Penck silkscreens, etchings and lithographs in our program. The mostly large-format prints were usually published in low editions between 5 to 80 copies. Each print was handsigned and numbered by the artist.
Limited edition prints by A.R. Penck
The graphic prints occupy a central place in Penck's artistic oeuvre. In his diverse editions, Penck formulated, varied and reexamined his own pictorial ideas, which he had previously visualized in his paintings.
Above all, it is Penck's archaic-looking pictorial and formal language that evokes associations with early cave painting, which he acquired as an autodidact and which he translated from his painterly work into his graphic prints. In his artworks and editions he wanted to illustrate basic human relationships and dependencies.
The pictorial cosmos of the artist, who died in 2017, is composed of a universal, abstract-figurative system of signs. The silkscreens Dresden 2 or ohne Titel from 1991 show how the artist abstracts figures into stick figures and at the same time uses symbolic signs. The work Erinnerung unbekannt , which is in our program, also attest to how Penck's works strongly evoke associations with cave drawings. In addition to these color-intensive prints, you will also find black and white original prints, such as Penck's lithograph Ariadne - Minotaurus or the etching Two Women, in which the artist turns to an increasingly figurative mode of expression. In contrast, the etching Jetset 5 Handstand stand out. Here the artist chooses a strikingly filigree and lace-like line management.
A.R. Penck prices
| Artist: | Title: | Price: | Type: | Size: | Edition: | Handsigned: | Numbered: | Date: |
| A.R. Penck | Dresden 2 | 2000 Euro | Original print | 18.9 x 25.2 in | limited edition of 50 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
| A.R. Penck | Ohne Titel | 1980 Euro | Original print | 44.09 x 31.60 in | limited edition of 50 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
| A.R. Penck | Erinnerung unbekannt | 1900 Euro | Original print | 29.9 x 22 in | limited edition of 60 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
| A.R. Penck | Ariadne - Minotaurus | 1200 Euro | Original print | 25.78 x 19.68 in | limited edition of 40 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
| A.R. Penck | Zwei Frauen | 1200 Euro | Original print | 34.2 x 27.3 in | limited edition of 20 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
| A.R. Penck | Jetset 5 Handstand | 1650 Euro | Original print | 21.2 x 30.1 in | limited edition of 5 | yes | yes | 12.06.2019 |
Biography
A.R. Penck, whose real name is Ralf Winkler, was born in Dresden in 1935. He began painting his first pictures in oil as a boy and took drawing lessons from the artist Jürgen Strawalde when he was fourteen. Later he completed an apprenticeship as an advertising artist.
Because he opposed the dogma of socialist realism in the GDR, he was denied attendance at the art academies in East Berlin or Dresden, despite repeated applications. He was also later forbidden to become a member of the GDR Artists' Association. Nevertheless, Penck continued to work as an autodidact and educated himself further in evening painting courses.
The artist initially kept his head above water with jobs as a night watchman, stoker or letter carrier. In the 1960s, he turned away from realistic painting and finally began his now well-known "standard paintings," which featured a highly simplified visual language. In addition to calligraphy and graffiti, early cave paintings served him as a source of inspiration. He now named himself after the ice age researcher Albert Penck, whom he admired.
Although his art was subject to an exhibition ban, he was able to participate in documenta 5 in 1972. His problems with the GDR's State Security Service culminated in the destruction of his studio in 1979. In 1980, he was finally granted citizenship and his international artistic career was able to take its course. Like hardly any other artist, he embodied the painting culture of the East with his special, expressive visual language and archaic world of signs. He is considered the father of the "new savages" and the enfant terrible of the GDR. From 1989 to 2005 he taught at the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
After a prolonged illness, the artist died in Zurich in 2017 at the age of 77. Today he is one of the most outstanding painters of post-war art. His works are represented internationally in the most important museums, such as the New York Museum of Modern Art or the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Exhibitions
- 12.01.2023 – 08.04.2023 Offset – Le Centre du livre d’artiste, Saint-Yrieix.
- 15.09.2022 – 14.01.2023 MIX & MATCH - Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
- 03.06.2022 – 11.09.2022 #holzschnitt. 1400 bis heute - Kulturforum Berlin/Gemäldegalerie/Kunstbibliothek/Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin.
- 10.12.2021 – 27.02.2022 Perspektivwechsel. Kunst nach 1945 aus den Sammlungen der Kunsthallen Lübeck und Rostock – Kunsthalle St. Annen Lübeck.
- 13.10.2021 – 18.10.2021 6. Roter Kunstsalon – Museum Villa Rot, Burgrieden-Rot.
- 10.10.21 – 23.01.22 Art Vischering – Münsterlandmuseum Burg Vischering, Lüdinghausen.
- 24.09.2021 – 30.01.2022 Sammlung Miessl – Stadtgalerie Klagenfurt.
- 01.12.2020 – 11.04.2021 Bon Voyage. Reisen in der Kunst der Gegenwart - Ludwig Forum, Aachen.
- 14.11.2020 – 31.05.2021 Crossing Borders, Sammeln für die Zukunft - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
- 20.06.2020 – 30.08.2020 1:1 – Begegnung mit Originalen aus der Sammlung – Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen.
- 28.04.2020 – 02.08.2020 MEHR : WERT – Von der Heydt-Museum Wuppertal.
- 13.11.2019 – 16.02.2020 GROSSE REALISTIK & GROSSE ABSTRAKTION - Städel Museum, Frankfurt.
- 26.10.2019 – 30.11.2019 DIE HABEN EINEN VOGEL – Die Vogelmänner von Istanbul - C&K GALERIE Berlin.
- 19.10.2019 – 23.02.2020 Michael Müller. "DEINE KUNST" The Conditions of Being Art (oder der Amateur) Dritte Fassung - Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg.
- 05.10.2019 – 12.01.2020 A.R. Penck. Ich aber komme aus Dresden - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden.
- 05.09.2019 – 05.01.2020 Utopie und Untergang. Kunst in der DDR - Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf.
- 17.05.2019 – 15.09.2019 Building a Dialogue. Two Corporate Collections of Contemporary Art - Kunstsammlung Deutsche Bundesbank, Frankfurt.
- 28.10.2018 – 30.06.2018 HEIMVORTEIL. Deutsche Künstler aus der Sammlung Schaufler - SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen.
- 23.09.2018 – 13.01.2019 Die Geste. Kunst zwischen Jubel, Dank und Nachdenklichkeit - Ludwig Galerie Schloss Oberhausen.
- 20.04.2018 – 19.08.2018 Flashes of the Future. Die Kunst der 68er oder Die Macht der Ohnmächtigen - Ludwig Forum, Aachen.
- 23.02.2018 - 21.04.2018 A.R. Penck – Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin.
- 23.02.2018 – 21.04.2018 A.R. Penck – Michael Werner Gallery, London.
- 09.11.2017 – 07.01.2018 A.R. Penck. Will Sign Become Reality? – Fosun Foundation, Shanghai.
- 13.12.2017 - 19.03.2018 Ralf Winkler – A.R. Penck. Welterfahrung und Bildsprache – Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden.
- 26.11.2016 – 05.03.2017 A. R. Penck Strich = Welt – Kunsthalle Jesuitenkirche, Aschaffenburg.
- 16.06.2016 - 26.09.2016 Gegenstimmen. Kunst in der DDR 1976-1989 – Martin Gropius Bau, Berlin.
- 30.10.2015 – 03.04.2016 A. R. Penck: System, Signal, Störung. Werke aus der Sammlung Böckmann – Neues Museum, Nuremberg.
- 08.11.2014 – 03.01.2015 A.R. Penck. Zwischen Licht und Schatten – Galerie Michael Werner, Cologne.
- 17.05.2013 – 14.07.2013 A.R. Penck – eine Retrospektive – Kunstakademie Düsseldorf & Akademie-Gallerie, Dusseldorf.
- 06.06.2010 – 29.08.2010 A.R. Penck. Werke aus der Sammlung Böckmann – Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock.
Awards
- 1981: Rembrandt-Prize of the Goethe Foundation, Basel.
- 1985: Kunstpreis Aachen, Aachen.
Literature
- A. R. Penck, Til Breckner (Publ.), Exhibition catalog, Dusseldorf 2016.
- Vom Standard der Moderne – A.R. Penck und die Künstlergruppe „Lücke“, Paul Kaiser, in: OHNE UNS! Kunst & alternative Kultur in Dresden vor und nach '89, Frank Eckhardt, Paul Kaiser (Publ.), Dresden 2009.
- Sein und Wesen - Der unbekannte A.R. Penck, Gisbert Porstmann (Publ.), Munich 2008.
- A.R. Penck: Retrospektive, Ingrid Pfeiffer, Frankfurt/Main 2007.
- A. R. Penck. Menschen und Tiere nach der Öffnung: Übermalungen 89-91, Galerie Hänel (Publ.), Cologne 2003.
- A. R. Penck: Geisteshaltung einer Zeichensprache, Natalie Püttmann, Frankfurt/ Main 1994.
- A. R. Penck: Training mit STANDART, Martin Schaub, Zurich 1991.
Own Writings
- A.R. Penck: Neue Systembilder, A.R. Penck, Trebbin 2009.
- A.R. Penck: Abstraktion als Methode Neue Bilder, A.R. Penck, Trebbin 2005.
- A. R. Penck: Standart Weapons. Standart Models, A.R. Penck, Trebbin 1990.
Collections
Germany
- Dresden – Städtische Galerie - Kunstsammlung
- Dresden – Kupferstichkabinett SKD
- Frankfurt/ Main – Das Städel Museum
- Frankfurt/ Main – Museum für Moderne Kunst
- Nuremberg – Neues Museum
- Munich – Pinakothek der Moderne
- Erlangen – Kunstpalais Erlangen
- Chemnitz – Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz
- Baden-Baden- Museum Frieder Burda
- Stuttgart- Staatsgalerie
- Essen – Museum Folkwang
France
- Paris – Centre Pompidou
- Strasbourg- Musée d´Art Moderne et Contemporain
Austria
- Klosterneuburg – ESSL Museum
- Vienna – Museum moderner Kunst
Switzerland
- Basel – Kunstmuseum Basel
USA
- New York – Museum of Modern Art
- Washington D.C. – National Gallery of Art
- Williamstown – Williams College Museum of Art
Weblinks
- A. R. Penck Kunstaspekte Detailed exhibtion and collection overview.
- Michael Werner Gallery Overview of biography, exhibitions, news and literature.
