zwischen den Worten – entre les mots – fra le parole. Hommage à Mumprecht, 23.08. - 10.11.2013
The Aura of Language
The Kunstmuseum Bern is mounting an exhibition in homage to Rudolf Mumprecht in celebration of his 95th birthday. Mumprecht is a renowned Bern artist, but his fame extends far beyond the borders of the region too. The selection of exhibits focuses on the artist’s late work in which he exclusively engages with the aura of language and its visual evocativeness. The works in the show stem from the artist’s studio and various private Swiss collections.
With the title zwischen den Worten – entre les mots – fra le parole the exhibition is investigating the space of Mumprecht’s distinctive artistic signature, exploring the radius of possible interdependencies within his work. “Space" is comprehended therein as both poetic and artistic space.
Irresistable appeal
Mumprecht has always pursued a highly individual path in his art. He is in
search of the origins of what comprises the essence of humankind. In contrast
to Cy Twombly, who also addressed text, image, language and symbolic figures in
his work, Mumprecht’s investigations leave the path of mythological narratives
and instead follow nature as their guide. Life has a profound impact on
Mumprecht, and the intensity and impressions thereof are manifest in his
linguistic images. His pictures radiate an irresistible appeal, poignantly
stirring the emotions of their viewers with words such as “Zeit” (time),
“Liebe" (love), “Hoffnung” (hope) or “Einklang” (harmony).
Demanding but open to all
Mumprecht brings his words to canvas in spontaneous but likewise precise
gestures. Oui et non, demain, tant de
temps, dopodomani—we can never be
sure whether his works are stating a fact, questioning or proclaiming
something. Mumprecht necessitates of his viewers that they actively
explore the interstices of his art, combining and recombining the associations
evoked by the paintings for themselves.
The exhibition has been thematically arranged so that the artworks can be
continually interpreted anew in the context of the other pictures around them.
Mumprecht’s art is very demanding while simultaneously being open to all. The
environment, nature, music, poetry, philosophy: the artist is receptive to all
these things. Apparent is his tranquility, his aloofness to
everyday hustle and bustle, his positive and cheerful attitude to life, his
humor and the poetic nature of his art. He merges all these qualities into a
unified and balanced whole in the semblance of “word and image".
Artworks from Mumprecht’s studio and collections all over Switzerland
The exhibition is mounting artworks selected from the artist’s studio and
various private collections throughout Switzerland. A book catalog will
accompany the show. It reflects the basic structure of the exhibition with the
chapters “Between Words”, “Stream of Consciousness”, “Space of Time”, “Music
for the Eyes” and “Growth and Decay”, as well as two additional essays.
Contact person: Brigit Bucher, , Tel.: +41 31 328 09 21
Images: Marie Louise Suter, ,
Tel.: +41 31 328 09 53