Adrian Ghenie

(b. 1977, RO)

Portrait of Adrian Ghenie. / Photo: Playtech Entertainment (Romania).

Adrian Ghenie, born in 1977 in Baia Mare, Romania, is a visual artist, residing and working in Berlin, Germany. His works are characterized by dynamic collage-like compositions, strong impastos using a palette knife rather than a brush, a selection of lively colors and strong contrasts, as well as a dazzling sense of movement.

The Romanian artist combines his ingenuity often with a strong sense of humor. However, there is also a darker side and more apocalyptic side to his works, despite the bright colors dominating the surface of the canvas. His oeuvre is marked by personal and art historical references, taking on subjects such as (national) identity, collective (art) history and (personal) style. In fact, the artist believes it has become impossible to create a true personal style and we are bound to be eclectic in this day and age.

Adrian Ghenie: "On one hand, I work on an image in an almost classical vein: composition, figuration, use of light. On the other hand, I do not refrain from resorting to all kinds of idioms, such as the surrealist principle of association or the abstract experiments which foreground texture and surface."[1]

Career facts

The artist has been included in major exhibitions and was included in the 56th Venice Biennale in 2015. Ghenie has had major solo and group shows across the face of the earth, including exhibitions in France, United States, Belgium, Germany, Italy and more.

Ghenie is widely collected by important public collections, such as Centre Pompidou, Paris, Tate Modern, London, S.M.A.K., Ghent, Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA), Antwerp, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Long Museum and The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

Adrian Ghenie is ranked as top 10.000 global top 10 in Romania on Artfacts.[2]

Adrian Ghenie books – Selected bibliography

For further reading on the Romanian painter, we highly recommend Adrian Ghenie : Paintings 2014-2019 for an overview of his works in this absolute breakthrough period.

Selected works – 2006-2020:

Adrian Ghenie, The raft, 2019. Oil on canvas – 230 x 360 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac.

Adrian Ghenie, Study for bikini, 2018. Collage on paper – 18.2 × 22.4 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac.

Adrian Ghenie, Vincent as old, 2016. Oil on canvas – 203 x 204 cm. Courtesy of Galeria Plan B.

Adrian Ghenie, Study for Pie Fight Interior, 2012. Collage and acrylic on paper, mounted on wood – 81 x 61 cm. Courtesy of Philips.

Adrian Ghenie, Self-portrait as a monkey, 2010. Oil on canvas – 145 × 84 cm. Courtesy of Philips.

Adrian Ghenie, Cruising area, 2006. Oil on canvas – 33.3 × 45 cm. Courtesy of Omer Tiroche Gallery.

Published online on 9/12/2020 by Contemporary Art Issue

© 2020

Notes:

[1] Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Adrian Ghenie at https://www.ropac.net/artist/adrian-ghenie-1 consulted 16/11/2020. [2] Artfacts, Adrian Ghenie at https://artfacts.net/artist/adrian-ghenie/106756 consulted 16/11/2020.

List of illustrations:

Portrait of Adrian Ghenie. / Photo: Playtech Entertainment (Romania). Adrian Ghenie, The raft, 2019. Oil on canvas – 230 x 360 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Adrian Ghenie, Study for bikini, 2018. Collage on paper – 18.2 × 22.4 cm. Courtesy of Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac. Adrian Ghenie, Vincent as old, 2016. Oil on canvas – 203 x 204 cm. Courtesy of Galeria Plan B. Adrian Ghenie, Study for Pie Fight Interior, 2012. Collage and acrylic on paper, mounted on wood – 81 x 61 cm. Courtesy of Philips. Adrian Ghenie, Self-portrait as a monkey, 2010. Oil on canvas – 145 × 84 cm. Courtesy of Philips. Adrian Ghenie, Cruising area, 2006. Oil on canvas – 33.3 × 45 cm. Courtesy of Omer Tiroche Gallery.