Franz Burkhardt
Drawings | Object
1.12.2023 – 28.01.2024
Opening: 1.12.2023, 7pm
Introduction: Dr.Hella Nocke-Schrepper
Exhibition extended until 18.02.2024
Finissage 18.02.2024, 3 pm
Information about the artist
Born in Wolfenbüttel, the artist Franz Burkhardt now lives and works in the province of Liège, Belgium. His career led him from studying fine art at the HBK Braunschweig to postgraduate studies in scientific illustration in Maastricht. With impressive precision, Burkhardt devotes himself to a diverse range of motifs, from still lifes and nudes to urban landscapes. However, his art goes beyond simple illustration. Especially in his sculptural works, his interest in urban elements such as aged street furniture, crumbling walls, advertising and graffiti sparks a special dynamic. The artist creates deceptively real facades and walkable streetscapes from a variety of materials, creating amazingly credible atmospheres. As an experienced collector and connoisseur, Burkhardt draws on historical images that he acquires at flea markets and second-hand bookshops. In his works, he skillfully combines image and text, whereby his humor always resonates. This humor pervades not only provocative motifs, but also confidently drawn, modest repertoire pieces. Burkhardt discovers painterly details, dirt, graffiti and damage in aged street furniture, walls and other urban elements, which he depicts with artistic ease and precision. Franz Burkhardt strives for accuracy without proclaiming messages or being a simple-minded minute-taker. His works are not dedicated to specific stories or places, but create credible atmospheres with a sympathetic skepticism towards a monitored world. Franz Burkhardt is represented in renowned international museums and collections such as the Sprengel Museum Hannover, the Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, the Galerie Martin Kudlek in Cologne and the Livingston Gallery in The Hague.
