Ruprecht von Kaufmann

b. 1974, German

By Julien Delagrange

January 21, 2021

Biography

Ruprecht von Kaufmann is a German visual artist living and working in Berlin, Germany.[1] Von Kaufmann is known for his figurative paintings and drawings, depicting figures, interiors and landscapes in an often surrealistic setting combining scenes from daily life with the absurd in an unparalleled manner.

Born in 1974 in Munich, Germany, Ruprecht von Kaufmann achieved international recognition with his unmatched figurative style, painting with oils most often on a linoleum surface. The German artist permits his artistic expression a great deal of freedom when it comes to the use of colour. As a result, his oeuvre is marked by a characteristic palette dominated by blues, greens, pinks an d purples.

The dynamic character of his work comes about in an organic and natural manner. Drawing inspiration from the world around him, von Kaufmann comments on life with his painterly practice following the waves of his walk of life, knowledge, vision and personality.[2]

A similar tendency is visible in the creative process. When painting or drawing, Von Kaufmann follows his urges and incentives in an intuitive manner. The idea and visual representation of the idea takes form during the process of its creation, evolving over time as the artist reacts to what is happening in the emergence of the image. Even more, in some cases, the painting even demands the artist to follow its guidance, as the artists becomes a subject to the will of the artwork.[3]

Portrait of Ruprecht von Kaufmann in his studio. / Photo: XIBT Contemporary Art Mag.

As mentioned above, Von Kaufmann was born in 1974 in Munich. From 1997 up to 2003 , the German painter lived and worked in Los Angeles and in New York. Since 2003, he resides and continuous to work in Berlin. From 1995 to 1997, von Kaufmann studied illustration (BFA) at the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. In 2008 up to 2004, he worked as a professor in the arts, working for the University der Künste in Berlin, the Hochschule fur Angewandte Wissenschaften in Hamburg and the Hochschule for Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig.[4]

With the new millennium, Von Kaufmann has participated in shows across the globe, exhibiting his works in England, Germany, the United States of America, Denmark, Norway, Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Croatia and Israel. Some important exhibitions at major institutions include his show at the Pinakothek der Moderne in 2019 or at the Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin, in 2014.[5]

The works by von Kaufmann are collected by major public and private collections, such as the Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Collection of the German Bundestag, the Collection of the National Bank of the Federal Republic of Germany in Frankfurt, the Coleccion Solo in Madrid, the Collezione Coppola in Vicenza, the Hort Family Collection in New York, the Uzyiel Collection in London, the Sammlung Philara in Düsseldorf, the Sammlung Hildebrand in Leipzig, the Sammlung Holger Friedrich in Berlin, Sammlung Museum Abtei Liesborn in Liesborn or the Sammlung Veronika Smetackova in Prague.[6]

Books on Ruprecht von Kaufmann

For further reading on Ruprecht von Kaufmann we highly recommend the following books:

An Interview with Ruprecht von Kaufmann

In 2021, we had the absolute pleasure to have an in-depth conversation with Ruprecht von Kaufmann talking about his latest monograph, the Covid crisis, painting, directing, the absence of faces and a dinosaur in a morph suit. Yes, you have read that correctly.

Read An Interview with Ruprecht von Kaufmann: Painting as if directing a movie here.

Artworks

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Die Resignierten, 2020. Oil on linoleum – 122.5 x 153 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Es geht weiter, 2020. Oil on linoleum – 122.5 x 153 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Die Brise, 2020. Oil on linoleum – 122.5 x 153 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, You never know, 2019. Oil on linoleum on wood – 122.5 x 153 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Der letzte Akt, 2019. Oil on linoleum on wood – 153 x 184 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Paar auf dem Sofa, 2019. Oil on linoleum on wood – 122 x 153 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Einsamkeit, 2018. Charcoal on paper – 100 x 70 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Natur, 2018. Oil on linoleum – 150 x 200 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, The Advant Garde, 2018. Charcoal on paper – 100 x 70 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Ruprecht von Kaufmann, Der Entertainer, 2017. Oil on linoleum – 205 x 150 cm. Courtesy of the artist.

Notes:

[1] Ruprecht von Kaufmann, About at https://www.rvonkaufmann.com/about/ consulted 20/01/2021.
[2] Kristin Hjellegjerde, Ruprecht von Kaufmann at https://kristinhjellegjerde.com/artists/124-ruprecht-von-kaufmann/overview/ consulted 20/01/2021.
[3] Ibidem note 2.
[4] Ibidem note 1.
[5] Artfacts, Ruprecht von Kaufmann at https://artfacts.net/artist/ruprecht-von-kaufmann/66317 consulted 20/01/2021.
[6] Ibidem note 1.

Last Updated on May 3, 2023

Julien Delagrange

Julien Delagrange (b. 1994, BE) is an art historian, contemporary artist, and the director of CAI and CAI Gallery. Previously, Delagrange has worked for the Centre for Fine Arts (BOZAR) in Brussels, the Jan Vercruysse Foundation, and the Ghent University Library. His artistic practice and written art criticism are strongly intertwined, examining contemporary art in search of new perspectives in the art world.

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