(Above) Per Kirkeby, Ohne Titel (Untitled) (1991). Oil and chalk on Masonite. Picture © the artist, courtesy Galerie Werner
Exhibition: Per Kirkeby, Tate Modern, London, until September 6 2009
The first major UK exhibition of work by Danish artist Per Kirkeby gives viewers the opportunity to witness the extraordinarily diverse work of this innovative and uniquely independent artist. The 146 pieces on show include not only his monumental canvasses from the 1980s, but also lesser-known, Pop-inspired works from the 1960s, offering a fascinating insight into how his oeuvre has evolved.
Born in 1938, Kirkeby trained as a geologist, so it is perhaps unsurprising that landscapes depicting the stark realities of an often-bleak rustic life form the backbone of his work. A number of expeditions to Greenland influenced his paintings, characterised by vigorous brushwork infused with earthy shades of brown, grey and black which frequently border on the sombre and brooding.
Per Kirkeby, Blackboard – White (1973). Mixed media on Masonite. Picture © the artist, courtesy Galerie Bo Bjerggaard
Kirkeby came to international prominence in the 1980s alongside artists such as Georg Baselitz and AR Penck, and was a key figure in the resurgence of Neo-Expressionism. During this period he began to work on an almost heroic scale, producing gargantuan landscapes, four of which provide the highlight of this show.
Crucially, all but one of these is untitled, adding to the elusive quality underpinning his work. The colouring is almost relentlessly dismal apart from the odd violent flash of yellow or blue, creating a startling sense of depth against the dark background.
Per Kirkeby, Wald-Variation (1989). Oil on canvas. Picture © the artist, courtesy Private collection / Galerie Michael Werner
The spatial set up of these paintings adds to their complex, mysterious quality. Despite portraying the rawness of nature, Kirkeby rarely paints an actual vista. Even in his 1990s paintings, which are as luminous as his 1980s work, is grim with few clear vantage points to which the viewer can relate. The pulsating patchwork of reds, yellows and oranges of Flight to Egypt certainly dazzles with its flamboyance, but also unsettles with its discernible lack of perspective.
The solitary coldness of the glaciers, coastlines and mountains of these most acclaimed pieces are all the more interesting when viewed alongside Kirkeby's work from the 1960s. With their references to popular culture, use of collage and silhouette-like figures of Brigitte Bardot, they define the era's reckless liberation.
Per Kirkeby, The Siege of Constantinople (1995). Oil on canvas. Picture © the artist, courtesy Tate.
Car Pictures is reminiscent of American Pop Art, while other untitled pieces are highly abstracted, yet combine this with figurative elements such as cowboys and detail from comic strips. The idiosyncratic approach is produced on Masonite, a response to Kirkeby's desire to connect with the debris of everyday life.
This show is concerned with revealing the trajectory of Kirkeby's endeavours, and subsequent rooms focus on his move away from this intrepid embrace of visual culture, towards a conscious engagement with the grand traditions of European painting.
Pictures from the 1970s and early 1980s reveal a pre-occupation with looser, more gestural brush work. Fram, from 1983, achieves a fine balance between the figurative and the abstract, and a dialogue with Renaissance German woodcuts and 17th century Dutch paintings is evident.
Possibly the most perplexing pieces, however, are a series of boards covered with blackboard paint. These have been scrawled on using oils and crayons, yet the images form no distinct shape or meaning.
They summon up the imaginings of experimenting children in a classroom and raise complex, yet unanswerable questions. In many ways they epitomise Kirkeby's work, which seems to suggest the infinite possibilities of meaning.
Open 10am-6pm Sunday-Thursday, 10am-10pm Saturday and Sunday. Admission £7.80-£9.80 (family ticket £24.50). Joint admission with Futurism £15/£13 (family ticket £46.70). Book online or call 020 7887 8888 for advance tickets.
Keep up to date with Culture24's exhibition news, reviews and previews with iGoogle - a more personal way to use Google.com
