Serving as a vital figure in the “Capitalistic Realism” movement alongside Konrad Lueg, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, and Wolf Vostell, KP Brehmer (1938-1997) emerged in the late 1960s with politically-charged works reminiscent of Pop Art.
His repertoire consists of paintings, prints, drawings, and films that assume the form of diagrams, visual statistics, abstract art, and even advertising posters. Embedded within his imagery lies a sense of irony, through which he critiques the art world, the media landscape, and society as a whole. His goal is to raise awareness among his audience of the influence wielded by images, statistics, and other “scientific sources,” urging us to view them critically and independently. His convictions revolve around the notion that no image is ever truly objective; they all carry an underlying intention. Surprisingly, over two decades after his passing, his observations prove to still be relevant in our contemporary world.
Born in Berlin, Brehmer pursued a career in printing and studied graphic arts as a form of fine art. In 1971, he became a professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg, and later, in 1987 and 1988, he served as a guest lecturer at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou. This exhibition in The Hague is presented in collaboration with the Neues Museum in Nuremberg, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, and Arter Istanbul, providing a comprehensive overview of Brehmer’s works brimming with both serious societal criticism and light-hearted irony and humor. With his creative mind and imagination, he unmasks images and ideas, tackling themes that remain relevant to this day.
www.ftn-books.com has the invitation card for his Gemeentemuseum Den Haag now available.
