ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL
CHRISTIAN HOHMANN FINE ART 73-660 El Paseo Palm Desert, CA 92260
(760) 346-4243 phone (760) 346-4246 fax (877) 977-CHFA (2432) toll free e: email@christianhohmann.com w: www.christianhohmann.com
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www.christianhohmann.com COVER IMAGES FRONT LOLA | Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011 BACK Armin Mueller-Stahl in his Studio © Julia Huemme, Ostholstein Museum Eutin
IMPRESSUM © Christian Hohmann Fine Art, Inc. 1st Edition 2012 Any reproduction or use of text or image material in part or in full is only allowed with the written consent of Christian Hohmann Fine Art, Inc. Measurements are approximate and may vary, please contact gallery if you require the exact size.
Image to the right: VIOLINIST| Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL 3
ARMIN MUELLER-STAHL
Armin Mueller-Stahl in his Studio (© Dr. Julia Huemme, Ostholstein Museum Eutin) Born in Tilsit in what was then East Prussia in 1930, Armin Mueller-Stahl is somewhat of a multi talent in German art history. After passing his examinations as a concert violinist and music teacher, he became an actor, at first on the theatre stage and on television in the GDR as well as in Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft (DEFA) films, the state film monopoly in the GDR. In 1980 Armin Mueller-Stahl immigrated to West Germany, where he established himself as a top-flight actor, soon making his way to Hollywood to play with international screen stars such as George Clooney, Michael Douglas, John Malkovich and Tom Hanks. The famous actor had been painting for over forty years before his work was presented publicly in a 2001 spring exhibition at the Babelsberg Film Museum in Potsdam. “What is so brilliant about Armin Mueller-Stahl is his complex talent, which makes him able to translate into drawing whatever he does as an actor. I don’t know who compares with him in this respect,” said Frank-Thomas Gaulin. Even though painting is only one facet of the creative wealth of this true Renaissance man, it might just be the most important because it is the only part of his work that can
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Ursula Hohmann, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Christian Hohmann in Los Angeles become part of our everyday world. While his many movies, his books and his music can only be enjoyed in the moment and then immediately fade into memories, his paintings stay with us every day, every hour. Film, music and book productions are also always the corporation of many while a painting or drawing represents the unfiltered, direct and sole expression of the artist thereby certainly becoming the most important and lasting part of the artist’s life’s work.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT “Painting, writing, making music and acting simply belong together, as I see it,” MuellerStahl says. “Creative desire is an attempt to throw off the shackles of life” he adds. Painting and drawing seem to be particularly helpful to him in this respect because they represent “the more honest proceedings” he feels. “Painting seeks the truth. Here what matters, unlike in writing where good punch-lines count, is representing as authentically as possible in its entirety a figure telling someone something,” the artist explains.
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BIOGRAPHY 6
12.12.1930 Born in Tilsit (East Prussia) 1949 Studies music at the Stern’scheKonservatorium, Berlin 1951 Takes acting lessons and devotes himself to painting 1952 Appears in the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin 1952 – 1956 Paints “Skatrunde” (“Card Players”); oil on board 1953 Completes his musical studies; appears in the Berliner Volksbuehne 1956 First film role in “Heimliche Ehen” 1959/60 Works in theatre, television and radio in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) 1963 Wins the National Art Prize of the GDR 1964-1965 warded a GDR TV prize (‘Silver Laurel”) for his role as Wolfgang Pagel in “Wolf unter Woelfen”. 1967-1968 Concert trips to Copenhagen, Vienna, Warsaw, Cairo and West Berlin 1972 National Prize (Second Class) of the GDR for “Die Verschworenen” 1973 Marries the dermatologist Gabriele Scholz 1974 Oscar nomination for his role in “Jakob der Luegner” (“Jacob the Liar”) 1975 Among the group awarded the Theodor Koerner Prize for his role as a member of the GDR secret police in “Das unsichtbare Visier” 1976 Signs the petition drawn up by artists in the GDR protesting against the compulsory expatriation of Wolf Biermann 1979 Leaves the GDR; first roles in West Germany 1980 Publication of his first novel, “Verordneter Sonntag” (“Sunday by Decree”) Awarded the Order of Merit (First Class) of the Federal Republic of Germany 1982 Receives the West German Film Prize (Gold Sash) for his role as Bohm in Fassbinders’s “Lola” 1983 German Actor’s Prize (a bronze of Charlie Chaplin’s shoe) 1984 Oscar nominations for roles in “Bittere Ernte” and “Oberst Redl” 1985 Actor’s Prize of the International Film Festival in Montreal for his role as the farmer, Leon, in “Bittere Ernte” Awarded the West German Film Prize (Gold Sash) for the film “Oberst Redl” Invited to Los Angeles by the Hollywood agent Paul Kohner 1991 Publication of his book “Drehtage - Music Box und Avalon” (“Days on Set - Music Box and Avalon”) 1992 Moves to the United States (Los Angeles) Wins the Silver Bear for his role as Baron Kasper von Utz in “Utz” Is able to read his GDR secret police dossier in Berlin 1996 Awarded the Golden Satellite for his role as Peter Helfgott in “Shine” Australian Film Prize for Best Supporting Actor in “Shine” 1997 Publication of his memoirs, “Unterwegs nach Hause” (“On the Way Home”) Oscar nomination for his role as Peter Helfgott in “Shine” Awarded the Berlinale-Kamera for his life’s work 1998 Receives an honorary doctorate from the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies in Chicago 2001-2002 “Rollenspiel” (“Role Play”): a diary of texts and paintings produced during the filming of the television production of “Die Manns”, covering the life of Thomas Mann Produces his first lithographs, single lithographs devoted to “Biographische Bilderwelten” (“Biographical Visual Worlds”) Lithograph cycle Hamlet in America; 13 lithographs based on the artist’s own film script Wins the Grimme Prize (Gold) for his role as Thomas Mann in “Die Manns – Ein Jahr hundert Roman” Book Begegnungen (Encounters), V. Skierka (Kneseback Verlag) German Order of Merit
KOMMT EIN VOGEL GEFLOGEN | NURSERY RHYME Mixed Media on Paper | 39” x 27” | 2011
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2003 “Urfaust”, 20 large-size lithographs to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s texts. 2004 The State Museum for Art and Cultural History in Gottorf Castle, Schleswig acquires the artist’s entire graphic oeuvre for its collection. Grand Cross of the German Order of Merit “Night on Earth – Day on Earth”; cycle of 21 lithographs inspired by Jim Jarmusch’s film “Night on Earth”” 2005 Receives the prize, “kultur aktuell”, awarded by the HSH-Nordbank and the State Cultural Association, for his graphic work DEFA Foundation Prize for his services to German film His book “Venice: Ein Amerikanisches Tagebuch” (“Venice: An American Diary”) is published by Aufbau Verlag. 2006 Awarded the Carl Zuckmayer Medal of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate His book “Kettenkarussell” (“Chain Carousel”) is published by Aufbau Verlag. His book “Unterwegs nach Hause” (“On the Way Home”) is published by Aufbau Ver lag. His book “Portraits” is published by Aufbau Verlag 2007 Awarded the German Film Prize (Honorary Prize for services to German film) Award of the Bild Osgar media prize Design of the Artists’ Edition of the Brockhaus encyclopedia; presentation at the Frank- furt Book Fair Film “The Buddenbrooks” His book “The Buddenbrooks – Uebermalungen eines Drehbuchs” (“Buddenbrooks – Over-Painting of a Screenplay”) is published by Henschel Verlag His book “Hannah” is published by Aufbau Verlag His Book “Utz” is published by Edition Braus 2008 Grand Cross of the German Order of Merit with Star Genius Award of the Canadian Film and Television Academy as Best Supporting Actor in “Toedliche Versprechen” 2009 Honorary Prize for his life’s work at the Berlinale Berlin 2010 Order of Merit of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia His book “Die Jahre werden schneller: Lieder und Gedichte” (“The Years are Getting Faster: Songs and Poems”) is published by Aufbau Verlag Monographie Armin Mueller-Stahl: Monograph of the paintings and drawings (Edition Braus) Book about Armin Mueller-Stahl: “Die Biographie” (“The Biography”) by Gabriele Michel (Aufbau Verlag) Book about Armin Mueller-Stahl: “Die Biographie” (“The Biography”) by Voelker Ski erka (Langen/Mueller Verlag) Honorary Citizen of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. 2011 The CD “The Years are Getting Faster” with songs written and performed by Armin Mueller-Stahl is published. 2011-2012 13 city concert tour “The Years are Getting Faster” throughout Europe. PUBLICATIONS 2003 2006 2006 2010 2011
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Armin Mueller-Stahl Night on Earth - Day on Earth Rollen Leben Armin Mueller-Stahl in Meiningen Malerei, Ziechnung, Druck grafik Armin Mueller-Stahl - Menschenbilder Galerie IM Schloss Gustrow Armin Mueller-Stahl “Alle Kunst will Musik werden” Armin Mueller-Stahl Edition Braus, Berlin
DER LETZE KAISER M. JACKSON | THE LAST EMPEROR M. JACKSON Mixed Media on Paper | 33” x 23” | 2011
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MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS 10
EXHIBITIONS 2000 First exhibition of paintings and drawings in the Film Museum in Potsdam 2001 Buddenbrookhaus und Kulturforum Museum Burgkloster, Luebeck 2003 Kunsthistorisches Museum, Stralsund Wallenhorst Town Hall Festival Mitte Europa, Staedtische Galerie e.o. Plauen, Plauen 2004 Kunstraum Akademie, Stuttgart Casa di Goethe, Rome Wenzel Hablik Museum, Itzehoe Landesmuseum fuer Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig Kulturbund Altenburger Land, Altenburg Heidelberger Kunstverein 2005 Municipal Art Gallery, Barnsdell Art Park, Los Angeles Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel Ostholstein Museum, Eutin 2006 Museum der bildenden Kuenste, Leipzig Kunstverein “Talstrasse” e.V., Halle Museen der Stadt Meiningen Museum Schloss Guestrow 2007 Museum fuer Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg Kunsthalle Mannheim Kunstforum Altes Rathaus, Potsdam 2008 Landesmuseum Schloss Gottorf (Internationaler Museumtag Kunstverein Wasgau, Dahn 2009 Museum Schloss Burgk Landesmuseum fuer Kunst-und Kulturgeschichte Schloss Gottorf, Schleswig Kunstverein Geldern Staedtisches Museum, Goettingen NRW-Forum Duesseldorf Horst Janssen Museum, Oldenburg Sparkassenstiftung Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel 2010 Baden-Wuertembergische Bank Stuttgart Ostholstein-Museum, Eutin Staedtische Galerie “Leerer Beutel”, Regensburg Frank Loebsches Haus, Landau in der Pfalz Schloss Wackerbarth, Radebeul Historical Museum of the City of Sovetsk (Tilsit) Kunsthalle Ammersee, Seefeld Stadt Neumarkt i.d. OPf. 2011 Exhibition in the Schleswig-Holstein State Parliament Building Exhibition Villa Boehm, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse Exhibition at State Bank, Braunschweig Art Association Dissen Art Potsdam/Film Museum Postsdam Galerie Hohmann, Walsrode 2012 Foundation Kniphausen Castle, Wilhelmshaven VW-Forum Unter den Linden, Berlin
CATHEDRAL Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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MARINELLIS TRAUM | MARINELLI’S DREAM Oil on Canvas | 43” x 55” | 2002
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BUDDENBROOKS Oil on Canvas | 47” x 63” | 2008
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BEAT THE RECESSION, NOT THE WORKERS Oil on Canvas | 35” x 47” | 2009
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CAMERLENGO IM ZWIELICHT | CAMERLENGO IN TWILIGHT Oil on Canvas | 47” x 35” | 2009
OHNE TITEL IV | UNTITLED IV Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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ABSCHIED | FAREWELL Oil on Canvas | 39” x 27” | 2008
DAVID HELFGOTT AUS DEM FILM “SHINE” | DAVID HELFGOTT IN THE MOVIE “SHINE” Oil on Canvas | 39” x 27” | 2008
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KINDER DES OLYMP | CHILDREN OF OLYMPUS Oil on Canvas| 47” x 59” | 2009
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LUIS BUNUEL Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
PABLO NERUDA Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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HOLD ME DARLING Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
JOHN COLTRANE BLUE TRAIN Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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LOLA Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
EVEN MARKED UP LUXURY GOODS FLY OFF THE SHELVES Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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LISETTA Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
DO IT YOURSELF Mixed Media on Paper | 39” x 27” | 2011
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HERMANN HESSE Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
ERNEST HEMINGWAY Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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FUNNY VALENTINE AND BOYFRIEND Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
PORTRAIT II Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2010
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ARTIST I Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
ARTIST II Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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ONE LIFE, ONE LIFE Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
FRAG NICHT | DON’T ASK Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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OHNE TITEL | UNTITLED III Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
ZWEI SEELEN | TWO SOULS Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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MASKERADE | MASQUERADE Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
THAT IS WHY THE DRINKING WATER CONCERNS ARE REAL Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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WHEN IT’S SLEEPY TIME Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
ZWEI SEELEN II | TWO SOULS II Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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IN DEINEN AUGEN LES ICH | IN YOUR EYES I READ Mixed Media on Paper | 18” x 24” | 2011
MEIN GOTT WARUM HAST DU MICH VERLASSEN OH GOD WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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DENN ER HAT SEINEN ENGELN BEFOHLEN | FOR HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
MARIA AND CHILD Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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AUS DEM ZYKLUS “MENSCHHEITSZIRKUS” | FROM THE SERIES “HUMAN CIRCUS” I Mixed Media on Paper | 27” x 39” | 2011
AUS DEM ZYKLUS “MENSCHHEITSZIRKUS” | FROM THE SERIES “HUMAN CIRCUS” III Mixed Media on Paper | 27” x 39” | 2011
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AUS DEM ZYKLUS “MENSCHHEITZIRKUS” | FROM THE SERIES “HUMAN CIRCUS” II Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
AUS DEM ZYKLUS “MENSCHHEITZIRKUS” | FROM THE SERIES “HUMAN CIRCUS” IV Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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OBAMA Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
MANHATTAN BEACH Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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BÄUME | TREES Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
OHNE TITEL VI | UNTITLED VI Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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OHNE TITEL I | UNTITLED I Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
OHNE TITEL II | UNTITLED II Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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OHNE TITEL VII | UNTITLED VII Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
WEIBER DES MONSIEUR PICASSO | PICASSO’S WOMEN Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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BEI DREHARBEITEN | WHILE FILMING Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
VALENTINE Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
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THESEUS TÖTET DEN MINOTAURUS | THESEUS SLAYS MINOTAUR Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
OHNE TITEL VIII | UNTITLED VIII Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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LIEBESGLÜCK | LUCKY IN LOVE Mixed Media on Paper | 18” x 24” | 2011
FASCINATION Mixed Media on Paper | 39” x 27” | 2011
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FROH IM WARMEN SONNENLICHT | HAPPY IN WARM SUNLIGHT Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
MASKEN BEIM KARNEVAL | MASKS AT CARNIVAL Mixed Media on Paper | 22” x 30” | 2011
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DANN UND WANN KOMMT EIN MANN, DER WIE EIN VOGEL FLIEGEN KANN NOW AND THEN COMES A MAN WHO CAN FLY LIKE A BIRD Mixed Media on Paper | 18” x 24” | 2011
DANN UND WANN KOMMT EIN MANN, DER WIE EIN VOGEL FLIEGEN KANN II NOW AND THEN COMES A MAN WHO CAN FLY LIKE A BIRD II Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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VIOLINISTIN | VIOLINIST Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
DIE ROTE VIOLINE | THE RED VIOLIN Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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OHNE TITEL IX | UNTITLED IX Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
MÜDE GESELLSCHAFT | TIRED PARTY Mixed Media on Paper | 18” x 24” | 2011
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NEW ORLEANS Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
OHNE TITEL X | UNTITLED X Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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H. AUS DER NEW YORK TIMES | H. FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2011
PORTRAIT Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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DER LETZ TE BROCKHAUS Mixed Media on Paper | 27” x 39” | 2011
DIE SINTFLUT KOMME Mixed Media on Paper | 27” x 39” | 2011
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I SERENADE THE TREEBARK Giclee | 17” x 14”
IN CONVERSATION Giclee | 17” x 21”
ENCOUNTER IN THE PARK Giclee | 17” x 21” 83
FOREST LANDSCAPE II Lithograph | 16” x 24”
FOREST LANDSCAPE III Lithograph | 16” x 24” 84
CIRCUS OF HUMANITY Lithograph | 16” x 23”
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CHILDREN OF OLYMPUS II Mixed Media On Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
PORTRAIT Oil on Canvas | 40” x 30”
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TIME OUT TAKE FIVE I Mixed Media On Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
TIME OUT TAKE FIVE IV Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
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TIME OUT TAKE FIVE III Mixed Media On Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
TIME OUT TAKE FIVE II Mixed Media On Canvas | 30” x 22” | 2012
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MELANCHOLIA Mixed Media On Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
CHILDREN OF OLYMPUS III Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
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TIME OUT TAKE FIVE V Mixed Media On Paper | 30” x 22”
GEHEIMNISSE EINER STADT (MOSKAU) | SECRETS OF A CITY (MOSCOW) Mixed Media on Paper | 30” x 22” | 2012
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ON LIFE, ON LOVE Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
ABOUT THE ARTIST
In an age of specialization, having more than one talent is seldom a blessing. The jack-of-all-trades is considered master of none. How different the uomo universale, the Renaissance man who transformed European society, leading us out of self-imposed intellectual serfdom. The Renaissance gave birth to the free, self-determining individual. Leone Battista Alberti was a typical uomo universale: architect, painter, sportsman and author of seminal works on economics, architecture and painting. No contribution to the theory of painting can ignore his writings. And so this polymath is, through no fault of his own, now remembered by today’s art experts as a specialist. Armin Mueller-Stahl is without doubt a man of many talents. He is a world-famous actor, a true film-star. He has made his mark in Hollywood, where they say money rules and appearances are valued above substance, but which consistently sets new standards in film and has long been producing the best television series in the world. Mueller-Stahl is also a remarkable singer and songwriter, and a respected writer and director. Despite numerous exhibitions and publications his talents as a painter remain to be discovered. At least in an art world in which the cult of specialization values an artist’s aesthetic quality or conciseness of expression only when they can be turned into a saleable trademark. Mueller-Stahl’s paintings and drawings are distinctive, yet too complex and deep. They cannot be reduced to a simple trademark that allows them to be recognized instantly. The artist himself only began exhibiting his works relatively late in his life. For Mueller-Stahl, drawing – and he began with drawing – was something he did for himself. He only learned to paint when drawing started to seem too simple. This approach was also important for Gerhard Richter, who maintained the quality and individuality of his art by seeking new challenges to avoid falling into routine. The impulse to finally exhibit came from others. Perhaps Mueller-Stahl was also concerned his works might be dismissed as celebrity art, a judgement which would be most unfair. Other people persuaded him to exhibit his paintings. His drawing has helped Mueller-Stahl through many difficult situations in his life. “I draw my own equilibrium”, he once wrote. He drew constantly using any scrap of paper he could find, often the backs of his film-scripts. What began as a hobby started to take up more time and energy, and to demand higher standards. MuellerStahl was pushing himself to do more with his talent, and much studying of masterpieces in art galleries helped him to improve. His relationship to modern art remains ambivalent, but modern works have had their influence and sometimes even provided inspiration. Mueller-Stahl’s works should not however be viewed primarily in relation to other paintings nor in relation to themselves. They are based on visual experience of visible reality. Yet this reality is transformed by the artist’s own aesthetic filters. Often this filter is theatre or film, but it may also be an established style of painting or music or literature. Mueller-Stahl’s paintings are a personal reflection on reality. Motifs that have already been laid out are often reworked and redefined. Mueller-Stahl’s paintings are depictions of damaging experiences, both physical and emotional. They are multilayered, lines and shapes criss-cross and compete, form and line-complex are overlaid, figure and background are sometimes interchanged. There is spontaneity and fluidity, juxtaposition of the recognizable and the abstract, a confusing spectrum of reference, and a very specific use of light. The light exposes a threatening or melancholic tone – even when Mueller-Stahl’s remarkable use of brightness is blinding and we are forced to close our eyes, for example when looking at certain landscapes. Just as Tintoretto shows us a world in chaos, Mueller-Stahl uses light to convey mood. His painting mostly draws from darkness. The colors are usually dim. There is often grey, sometimes deep black, set off by an earthy brown. Grey can dominate to the point that the word is in the title of many oil-paintings, the color an entity in itself. The blurred, shadowy figure in “Camerlengo” (2009) is reminiscent of Gerhard Richter’s photo-realism. In particular the subtle shades of grey combined with a blurring technique remind one of Richter, although the similarity may well be unintentional. A series of paintings around the themes of farewell and reminiscence can be quite disturbing. The artist appears to be moving personal experiences towards the centre of his works, but without trying to glorify or romanticize these experiences through art.
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TOM HANKS Oil on Canvas | 47” x 35” | 2009
Deep within the picture, brought to the surface by the easy flow of the colors – sometimes horizontal, sometimes vertical – there are reduced figures: perhaps shadowy beings or a row of chairs floating free. They are depictions of fleeting fantasies and memories. The figures have their backs turned; they may appear to emerge from the surface of the picture only to disappear into its unfathomable depths. Mueller-Stahl’s paintings turn around moments that are brief, passing, changing. A large proportion are portraits: of models, poets, composers, directors, actors, but also of persons unknown and characters from literature. Many belong in the pantheon of the arts, and the few pictures that exist of them have left pre-conceptions of their appearance. Mueller-Stahl’s sketchy, suggestive style breaks open these pre-conceptions and gives his subjects a new vitality. Similarity is often cast aside in favour of a single, surprising aspect – in the case of Joseph Beuys a sardonic laugh. The outlines are painted without forethought, the figures delineated are never fully rounded. The whole manner of painting deliberately leaves room for interpretation and imagination. Color can impose itself over or under the delineations, slowly revealing a face, a shoulder or hand. Elsewhere color provides volume and intensity, stressing the provisional character of each portrait – particularly in reference to the actual model. Color is never used simply to fill the space between lines. The specific use of color and lines recognizes that portraits may pretend to give a likeness, but are not meant to be passport photographs. The way a subject appears depends on his or her author, the subject’s mood and also the person looking at the portrait. Ambivalence of appearance is particularly present in Mueller-Stahl’s self-portraits and his images of theatrical characters such as Hamlet. But ambivalence and openness to interpretation and re-interpretation are at the core of all of his paintings. In his self-portraits, Mueller-Stahl is either in a role he has played on stage or screen, or is looking into a “blind mirror”. Sometimes he appears in a role he has not played – a reflection of a wish or a self-projection. Roles and reality become one, the boundaries between realities are no longer clear: all that has been experienced, seen, felt, imagined, hoped and dreamt merges. Stage, set and hard facts of life combine. The scenes the pictures portray exist on a meta-level, and this is what makes them so fascinating. Because reality changes with time, becoming a memory, an imagination. Actual reality is only certain and reliable when portrayed through art.
About the author: Klaus Honnef, born 1939 in Tilsit (near Kaliningrad), art critic and curator, former editor of the “Aachener Nachrichten” newspaper, director of the Westphalian Art Club in Münster, exhibition director of the LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn. Curator of “UmweltAkzente” in Monschau in 1970, the world’s first exhibition of outdoor art, joint organiser of the documenta 5 and 6 in Kassel. Prof. em. for the theory of photography in Kassel, visiting professor at various German universities and other institutes of higher education. Freelance curator and author since 2000. Curator of more than 500 exhibitions all around the world and published numerous books. Klaus Honnef is “Chevalier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres” of the French Republic and a 2011 winner of the culture prize of the DGPh (German photographic association). www.klaushonnef.de
OHNE TITEL V | UNTITLED V Mixed Media on Paper | 24” x 18” | 2011
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ARTISTS OF THE GALLERY PAINTING Mohamed Abla Deladier Almeida Michael Azgour Zivana Gojanovich Eberhard H체ckst채dt Thomas Jessen Denis Jully Manzur Kargar Bernd Kirschner Wiebke Kramer Gabriele Lockstaedt Gerd Lieder Heiner Meyer Armin Mueller-Stahl Neil Nagy Heinz Rabbow Thomas Ritter Peter Schettler Doug Smith Karin Voelker Edward Walton Wilcox Rimi Yang PHOTOGRAPHY Karin Szekessy 100 Stefanie Schneider
ESTATES Bob Freimark Clemens Kindling David Schneuer Paul Wunderlich SCULPTURE Baerbel Dieckmann jd hansen John Helton Holger Lassen Siegfried Neuenhausen Stefan Reichmann Christopher Schulz Pierre Schumann Heinz Spilker FINE PRINTS Marc Chagall Corneille Xenia Hausner Rudolf Hausner Joan Miro Pablo Picasso and many more...
Christian and Kaarina Hohmann
ABOUT THE GALLERY CHRISTIAN HOHMANN | FINE ART represents over thirty years of lineage in the art world by the Hart/Hohmann family founded in Germany. Director Christian Hohmann’s parents Werner and Ursula opened their first gallery in 1976 in the cultural tourist destination of Walsrode, which quickly became a success attracting cosmopolitan visitors from all over the world. In 1998, his aunt Eva Hart ventured to the States and opened a gallery in Carmel by the Sea, a premiere address for the California fine art world. She introduced art collectors to the best European contemporary artists, a relatively untapped market in the area, and one in which was found a thriving market. Only two years later the Hart family opened another location in the heart of Chicago. Back in Germany, 19-year old Christian was honing his own career by studying Art History and Economy at the University of Trier. He also spent time working with acclaimed artist Prof. Rudolf Hausner, an important representative of the Viennese School of Fantastic Realism, to publish several important Fine Art Prints. Two years later he opened his first gallery in Hamburg at 21. In 1998 he partnered up with Thomas Levy, one of Germany’s premier art dealers and gallery owners, to open a gallery villa in Hamburg-Poeseldorf. The gallery highlighted artists such as Joan Miro, Marc Chagall, Francis Bacon, and Xenia Hausner and participated in art expos including Art Frankfurt and the prestigious Hamburg Photo Triennale. Three years later, Hohmann collaborated on a project gallery in Berlin-Mitte. In 2002 Eva Hart decided to open a flagship gallery in Palm Desert, CA. Located on the exclusive El Paseo Drive in the renowned playground for the Forbes 400, the gallery played host to visitors from all over the world looking for paradise
weather, perfect golf and tennis and world-class art. Christian joined his aunt as gallery director and went on to facilitate stellar exhibitions from modern classics like Joan Miro, Chagall, and Gabriele Muenter to contemporary artists such as Paul Wunderlich, Eberhard Hückstädt and Karin Voelker. In the summer of 2009, the Harts retired and Christian decided to carry on the family tradition solo with a new 5,000 square feet signature space, also located on El Paseo Drive. Today, Christian Hohmann Fine Art reflects this rich legacy in the art world, which began in Germany over 30 years ago, and now spans across the United States. With a longstanding tradition of presenting both European and national artists of the highest caliber to the discerning collector, the gallery’s strong figurative program is accentuated by diverse offerings in 20th century master works by both familiar and emerging names. The gallery features an exquisite selection of original paintings and sculpture by over 60 unique artists while also representing many artists’ estates and publishing books and catalogs of important work. With a true passion for art, educating the client, and a devotion to its artists, the gallery has garnered a world-class reputation as a sophisticated destination for art.
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BOOKS00020 Armin Mueller-Stahl Š Hohmann Fine Art
$25
www.christianhohmann.com