Klaus Rinke GER, b. 1939
"I have chosen the body— the gesture of the body— as a dematerialized and most intelligible medium to create "an ABC of seeing, experiencing and action and with this of human being in general."
Klaus Rinke (born 1939) is widely recognized as a co-founder of the Düsseldorf School, alongside luminaries like Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, and Günther Uecker. His artistic journey has been enriched by collaborations with prominent figures such as Joseph Beuys and Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose influence is deeply embedded in his work.
Since the 1960s, Rinke has been a dynamic force on the international art scene, aligning himself with radical artistic movements like Body Art, Land Art, and Conceptual Art, while never confining himself to the boundaries of a single genre. A versatile artist, Rinke's creative practice extends beyond the realms of drawing and painting, encompassing a rich body of sculptural and photographic works. Particularly noteworthy are his performances initiated in the 1960s, where the artist himself took center stage, emphasizing the relationship between the human body, time, and space. These performances often incorporated diverse elements like water, nature, or scientific measuring materials like lead, to explore concepts of balance and instability.
Klaus Rinke exhibited in two Documenta exhibitions in Kassel and two Venice Biennales. His solo exhibitions have graced the walls of some of the world's most prestigious museums, including the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, the CCCOD in Tours, the Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg, and the Haubrok Foundation in Berlin.
Rinke's artworks are housed in numerous public and private collections, and he has been bestowed with accolades for his contributions to contemporary art. These honors include recognition from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Deutsche Bank in Düsseldorf, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the R.M.I.T. Gallery in Melbourne, the F.R.A.C. Champagne Ardennes in Reims, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in Canberra, the Modern Museum in Vienna, the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, the MoMA in New York, the Tate Modern Museum in London, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, and many more.
Currently, Klaus Rinke lives and works in Linz, Austria, and Los Angeles, USA.
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Klaus RinkeWand Boden, 1969-1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.2 photographs 100 x 70 cm each, overall 100 x 140 cm
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Klaus RinkeWand Boden Ruam, Boden, 1969-1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.3 photographs 95.5 x 68.5 cm each, overall 95.5 x 205.5 cm
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Klaus RinkeMutation, 1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.59 x 42 cm
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Klaus RinkeHalte dein Arm hoch so lange du kannst! (Hold your arm up as long as you can), 1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.59 x 42 cm
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Klaus RinkeWasser aus dem Museum schutten - Tokyo, Japan, 1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.2 photographs 42 x 59 cm each
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Klaus RinkeHineingehen und herauskommen - Rentrer Sortir Biennale Tokyo, Japan, 1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P. (ed. of 3)140 x 100 cm
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Klaus RinkeEigentlich sollte ich Wothan heissen, Stellungnahme zu Vergangenheit, 1970Gelatin on silver print, A.P.59 x 42 cm
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Klaus Rinke200 Liter H2O Wasser werden angestossen made for Gerry Schum, 1971Gelatin on silver print, A.P.8 photographs 30 x 40 cm each, 120 x 80 cm
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Klaus RinkeDer Wasserträger, 1971Gelatin on silver print, A.P.200 x 140 cm
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Klaus RinkeSich von der Schwerkraft befreien, Arnheim Holland, 1971Gelatin on silver print, A.P.140.5 x 100 cm
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Klaus RinkeDreimal durch die Ecke New York - Die Ecke, leer, New York, 1972Gelatin on silver print, A.P.2 photographs; 101 x 140 cm, 101 x 268 cm, overall 101 x 408 cm
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Klaus Rinke5 Augenblicke, 1972Gelatin on silver print, A.P.5 photographs 60.5 x 43.5 cm each, overall 60.5 x 217.5 cm
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Klaus RinkeSan Francisco - Pazific, 1972Gelatin on silver print, A.P.5 photographs 30 x 40 cm each
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Klaus RinkeRheinknie, Düsseldorf , 1975Gelatin on silver print, A.P.100.5 x 141 cm
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Klaus RinkeWasser um mich herum – Neueröffnung Alfred Schmela Gallery, 1975Gelatin on silver print, A.P.68.5 x 100 cm
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Klaus RinkeVon 0 to 10 oder von der Agression zur totalen Offenheit, 1971Gelatin on silver print, A.P.24 x 36 cm unframed, (40 x 53.5 cm framed)
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Klaus RinkeMade for World Trade Center News - New York, 1975Gelatin on silver print, A.P.40 x 30 cm, (framed 53 x 43.5 cm)
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Klaus RinkeDer Wasserlift - Museum Wiesbaden, 1976Gelatin on silver print, A.P.100 x 70 cm
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Klaus RinkeDer Zorntrifft Das Globale, 2018acrylic paint on paper29.5 x 21 cm
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Klaus RinkeZusammengekauert zum Sprung bereit, 1979-1983Graphite and acrylic paint on canvas138 x 100 cm
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Klaus Rinke - Push the button: Photographs from the Seventies
8 May - 30 Jun 2021In the mid-Sixties, Rinke developed his first performances titled 'Primary Demonstrations'. In such performances, he explored the concepts of masculine and feminine, as well as the spatiality and temporality of...Read more -
Pathos - Group show
20 Dec 2019 - 22 Feb 2020No one among the Art historians of the 19th and 20th centuries has gained contemporary artists' interest and inquiry as much as the German historian Aby Warburg. There certainly is...Read more -
To Bid Or Not To Bid - Contemporary Curated
16 Dec 2017 - 10 Feb 2018If we left the world in the hands of journalists, psychoanalysts and psychologists, man-made wonders would disappear: paintings, statues, lamps, chairs, bus tickets, books, manuscripts. They would all disappear, swallowed...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - The Memories Belong To Me
7 May - 30 Jul 2016This exhibition marks Klaus Rinke’s return to Italy after his ground-breaking exhibitions in the 1970’s at the Toselli gallery in Milan and the L’Attico Gallery in Rome. The exhibition includes...Read more -
Der Beste Anfang - Group show
3 Oct - 14 Nov 2015The Avant-garde is always an instance of novelty, that changes form, transforms the language and present itself as – Der Beste Anfang – The best beginning, taking the irrational responsibility...Read more
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Klaus Rinke group show "Reflections. Positions from the National-Bank Collection"
Ludwig Museum, Koblenz, Germany June 29, 2024 Read more -
Marco Cingolani, Maggi Hambling, Klaus Rinke "VIS-À-VIS. Ritratti Moderni e Contemporanei"
Musei Civici, Palazzo Buonaccorsi, Macerata, Italy June 28, 2024From June 28, 2024, to January 12, 2025, the new exhibition 'Vis-à-vis. Ritratti moderni e contemporanei', curated by Elsa Barbieri, Massimo Francucci, and Giuliana Pascucci,...Read more -
Art Basel 2024
Klaus Rinke solo show June 13, 2024ART BASEL Feature Booth D08 KLAUS RINKE solo show Thomas Brambilla is pleased to announce his participation in Art Basel 2024. For the...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - Le Quotidien de l'Art
Press Review June 10, 2024DOWNLOAD THE ARTICLE HERE !Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Extrême Collection"
Frac Grand Large — Hauts-de-France, Dunkirk, France February 17, 2024The works of the Frac Grand Large are coming out of storage! “Extrême collection” invites you to discover the collection in groups, starting with the...Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Extreme Tension. Art between policts and society collection of the Nationalgalerie 1945 – 2000"
at Neue Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen, Berlin, Germany November 18, 2023The art of the second half of the twentieth century is marked by an enormous diversity of materials, mediums, and methods. At the same time,...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - The Cactus of Klaus
Los Angeles, L.A., USA October 9, 2023 Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Work from the Collection"
Walfrieden Sculpture Park - Tony Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal, Germany September 2, 2023The exhibition presents the installation “Island” by Klaus Rinke, which consists of dozens of vessels. The complex construction, through which trickling water flows, was part...Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Objekt im Raum / Fragment oder Konstruktion?"
Stadtgalerie, Waidhofen an der Ybbs, Austria July 16, 2023 Read more -
Klaus Rinke "Projects (MoMA 1973 Et Al.)"
Kicken Galerie, Berlin, Germany April 29, 2022Kicken Galerie presents the exhibition Projects (moma 1973 et al.), which Klaus Rinke opened in 1973 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. For...Read more -
Klaus Rinke "Wasserwerk Rinke"
Fahrbereitschaft, Berlin, Germany April 24, 2022FAHRBEREITSCHAFT Rinke and his works were much talked about in the 1970s. His contributions to fundamental questions about time or the element of water, for...Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Church for sale works from the Haubrok Collection and the Nationalgalerie Collection
Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin, Germany November 28, 2021Church for Sale Works from the Haubrok Collection and the Nationalgalerie Collection 28.11.2021 to 18.09.2022 On its 25th anniversary, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart...Read more -
Klaus Rinke Conference
Paris Photo 2021 November 14, 2021PARIS PHOTO - Grand Palais Ephemere Champ-de-Mars, Place Joffre 75007 Paris 14 Nov 2021Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Danser sur un volcan"
Frac Franche-Comté, Besançon, France May 19, 2021Opening from May 19, 2021 until Januray 2nd, 2022. Frac Franche-Comté, BesançonRead more -
Klaus Rinke, Ron Gorchov and John Torreano group show "Collezione Ghigi"
Museo Licini, Ascoli Piceno, Italy March 27, 2021Galleria d'Arte Contemporanea 'O. Licini' Corso Giuseppe Mazzini, 90 - Ascoli Piceno March 27 - June 12, 2021Read more -
Klaus Rinke group show "Wände I Walls"
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Germany September 26, 2020The exhibition WÄNDE I WALLS engages with the artistic discourse concerning spatial borders from the late 1960s to the present day. The international loans which...Read more -
Klaus Rinke "The fourth force"
MKM Museum Küppersmühle, Duisburg, Germany March 29, 2019A key figure in the Düsseldorf art scene which formed around Joseph Beuys, and a leading German concept and body artist, Klaus Rinke is now...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - group show "Transformationen"
Haeusler Contemporary, München, Germany May 3, 2018 Read more -
Klaus Rinke - group show "Chaos & order: 120 Years of collecting at RMIT"
RMIT Gallery, Melbourne, Australia April 13, 2018Click here!Read more -
Klaus Rinke - group show "Witterungen"
Mediapark Köln, Germany March 2, 2018 Read more -
Klaus Rinke - Düsseldorf Mon Amour
CCCOD, Tours, France October 13, 2017‘Düsseldorf mon amour’, presented in the white gallery, is an invitation from Klaus Rinke to share his experience within Düsseldorf’s vibrant art scene. During his...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - Instrumentarium
The Nave of CCCOD, Tours, France October 13, 2017Klaus Rinke will take over the Nave, a monumental space open to the exterior, devoting to producing of reviving large scale installations. The German artist...Read more -
Klaus Rinke - Derzeit - On time and having no more time
Skulpturenpark Waldfrieden, Tony Cragg Foundation, Wuppertal, Germany March 25, 2017‘My entire work consists of retrospective conclusions which have been drawn where the past becomes the future rushing forwards.’ Klaus Rinke is a universal artist...Read more -
Klaus Rinke "Thought and debate"
Cinéma 2 - Centre Pompidou, Paris, France September 24, 2015 Read more