Konrad Klapheck was very fortunate to find a supporter of his realistic object painting in his teacher Bruno Goller at the Düsseldorf Kunstakademie, in spite of the predominancy of Informal art of the time. National and international success quickly followed, with exhibitions at prestigious galleries such as Rudolf Zwirner in Essen, Arturo Schwarz in Milan and Ileana Sonnabend in Paris culminating in his first solo exhibition in the USA in New York at Sidney Janis. Konrad Klapheck is best known for his precise and detailed explorations of technical apparatus and everyday objects, including typewriters, sewing machines, water taps, showers, telephones, irons and saws. Influenced by Marcel Duchamp, Man Ray and Max Ernst, Klapheck combines Surrealism and Pop Art in images of trivial technical objects. An important addition to each work is the title, which, often with a humorous wink, lent the depicted object a story and human characteristics. A good example of this is one of the earliest and well-known sewing machine pictures “Die gekränkte Braut” (1957), which Klapheck painted after a temporary separation from his future wife Lilo. In monumentalising and personalising a sewing machine, the painting inherents a fascinating aura.
Press
Café Deutschland Im Gespräch mit Konrad Klapheck, Franziska Leuthäußer, Städel Museum, 06.05.2015Vita
1935
Konrad Klapheck is born on 10th February in Düsseldorf
1954
Studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in the class of Bruno Goller
1955
First painting with typewriter. Bruno Goller encourages him to paint objects
1960
Klapheck receives a North Rhine-Westphalia art award (Förderpreis des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen). Later he will reject all art prizes and other honors
1979
Professorship at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
1997
After 42 years Klapheck ends his series dedicated to the object and the machine and he begins a new series of interiors and landscapes with nudes
2009
Klapheck is commissioned to design the official poster for the French Open tennis tournament Roland Garros
2010
Honorary member of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
2023
Klapheck dies at the age of 88 on July 30
Selected Solo Shows
2023
Love Song – Jahn und Jahn, Munich
2021
Konrad Klapheck – Museum MORE, Gorssel, NL
2019—2020
Konrad Klapheck. Venus ex Machina – Musée des beaux-arts de La Chaux-de-Fonds
2019
Konrad Klapheck – Jahn und Jahn, Munich
2017
Konrad Klapheck. Behind the Curtain – Galerie Lelong, Paris
2015
Konrad Klapheck. Das graphische Werk – Versicherungskammer Kulturstiftung, Munich (cat.)
Konrad Klapheck, Zeichnungen und überarbeitete Graphiken – Galerie Fred Jahn, Munich
Klapheck auf Papier – Akademie-Galerie am Burgplatz 1, Düsseldorf
2013
Klapheck. Bilder und Zeichnungen – Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf (cat.)
2009—2010
Klapheck. Swing, Brother, Swing! – Galerie Lelong, Zurich and Paris (cat.)
2007
Konrad Klapheck. Druckgraphik und Gemälde – Kunstverein Ulm, Ulm (cat.)
Konrad Klapheck: Paintings from 1955-1998 – Zwirner & Wirth, New York (cat.)
2006
Menschen und Maschinen. Bilder von Konrad Klapheck – Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Recklinghausen
2005
Retrospektive – Musée d’Art Moderne et Contemporain de Strasbourg, Strasbourg (cat.)
2003
Konrad Klapheck. Maschinen und Menschen – Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn
2002
Konrad Klapheck mit Wanda Richter-Forgách. Porträtzeichnungen – Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf (cat.)
1996
Galerie Lelong, Zurich
1994
Central Institute of Fine Arts, Beijing
1993
Edward Thorp Gallery, New York
1990
Galerie Lelong, Zurich and Paris
1985—1986
Konrad Klapheck. Retrospektive 1955–1985 – Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg; Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen; Staatsgalerie Moderner Kunst, Munich (cat.)
1985
Galerie Maeght Lelong, Paris
1977
documenta 6, Kassel
1975
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf
1974
Konrad Klapheck. Retrospektive – Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels; Kunsthalle Düsseldorf
1972
Galleria La Medussa, Rome
1969
Sidney Janis Gallery – New York City
1968
documenta 4, Kassel
1966
Konrad Klapheck – Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover; Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal
1965
Konrad Klapheck – Galerie Ileana Sonnabend, Paris (cat.)
Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
1964
Konrad Klapheck. Physiognomien von Gebrauchsgegenständen – Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin
Konrad Klapheck. Paintings – Robert Fraser Gallery, London (cat.)
1962
Galerie Rudolf Zwirner, Essen (cat.) (further presentations until 1977)
1960
Galleria Arturo Schwarz, Milan (cat.) (further presentations until 1972)
1959
Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf
