German
Basic data
KP Brehmer was a German painter, graphic artist and filmmaker, who was committed to cultural politics in his art. His works are assigned to the European Pop Art. Today he is also one of the most important representatives of Capitalist Realism, to which artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke and Konrad Lueg also belonged.
- Born: September 12, 1938
- Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
- Died: November 16, 1997
- Nationality: German
- Studied at: apprenticeship as a chemigraph; Werkkunstschule Krefeld; Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
- Teachers: Rolf Sackenheim, Otto Coester
- Similar artists: Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Konrad Lueg, Wolf Vostell
- Stylistic direction: Capitalist realism, European Pop Art
Biography
KP (Klaus Peter) Brehmer was born in Berlin on September 12, 1938. Initially, Brehmer completed an apprenticeship as a chemigraph in the 1950s. This was followed by studies in free graphics at the Werkkunstschule Krefeld under Rolf Sackenheim. He then went to the renowned Düsseldorf Art Academy, where he worked with Otto Coester. After a one-year stay in Paris, he finally returned to his hometown in 1964. From 1971 to 1997, KP Brehmer was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg.
In the 1960s, Brehmer was primarily concerned with experiments in photomechanical reproduction technology. He devoted himself in particular to the reproduction and combination of images from the media and from advertising. He used everyday motifs and recoded them in new, altered contexts, so that graphics became a tool for him to question social and political conventions of representation and mechanisms of action. In addition, Brehmer attempted to contribute to a democratization of art by publishing special limited editions works, thereby subverting capitalist art exploitation.
KP Brehmer's artworks and editions have been shown in numerous museums and collections. These include the Hamburger Kunsthalle (2016,1998), the Neues Museum in Nuremberg (2008), the Kunsthalle Wien (2007), the Fridericianum (1998), and the documenta in Kassel (1977, 1972). Most recently, Brehmer's ouevre was honored in a major retrospective at the Hamburger Kunsthalle (2019/20), which then moved on to The Hague and Istanbul.
Exhibitions
- 14.08.20 – 04.01.21 Gezeichnete Stadt. Arbeiten auf Papier 1945 bis heute - Berlinische Galerie, Berlin.
- 03.04.20 – 26.07.20 Pop on Paper. Von Warhol bis Lichtenstein - Kulturforum Berlin / Gemäldegalerie, Berlin.
- 13.07.19 – 29.09.19 Familienbande - Die Schenkung Schröder - Museum Ludwig Köln, Cologne.
- 29.03.19 – 23.06.19 KP Brehmer. Korrektur der Nationalfarben - Hamburger Kunsthalle.
- 26.10.18 – 17.02.19 KP BREHMER. Kunst ≠ Propaganda - Neues Museum Nürnberg, Nuremberg.
- 24.08.18 – 06.10.18 No War No Vietnam - Kunstverein Tiergarten, Berlin.
- 30.03.17 – 01.10.17 DAS ABENTEUER UNSERER SAMMLUNG II - Kunstmuseen Krefeld.
- 26.06.16 – 27.08.16 Deutsche Pop Art - Art Galerie Siegen.
- 19.01.16 – 13.03.16 Art into Society - Society into Art, 2016 - ICA London.
Literature
- Grafik des Kapitalistischen Realismus, Réné Block, Berlin 1971/74.
- KP Brehmer, Briefmarken 1966–1972, Hubertus Butin, Frankfurt am Main 1994.
- KP Brehmer: real capital-production, Raven Row, Cologne 2017.
Collections
Germany
- Berlin - Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
- Berlin - n.b.k. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein
- Berlin – Berlinische Galerie
- Hamburg – Hamburger Kunsthalle
- Essen – Museum Folkwang
- Frankfurt am Main – Sammlung Deutsche Bank
Denmark
- Roskilde - Museum of Contemporary Art
Australia
- Melbourne - National Gallery of Victoria
Weblinks
- KP Brehmer Kunstaspekte Exhibition and collection overview.
- Estate of KP Brehmer.
