Galerie Thomas Schulte Viewing Room company logo
Galerie Thomas Schulte Viewing Room
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Viewing room
Menu

MICHAEL MÜLLER: PAINTINGS

Past viewing_room
9 September to 9 October 2020
  • MICHAEL MÜLLER PAINTINGS This online presentation focuses on the painterly oeuvre of Michael Müller, who until now has been known...

    MICHAEL MÜLLER

    PAINTINGS

     
    This online presentation focuses on the painterly oeuvre of Michael Müller, who until now has been known primarily for his conceptually complex, multilayered installations and performances, and as a curator. 
    It presents a number of series of programmatic painting: “Vor und hinter dem Glas,” “Reproduktion von Frühwerken,” “Mentale Treibhölzer (Handicap),” “Schwierige Bilder,” “Abstrakte Autogamie,” “Verschränkte Bilder” and “Urteilskraft.”
    Through these works, Müller examines painting’s classical approaches, methods and techniques, as well as its formats, materials, presentation and reception. In so doing, he questions our learned expectations of painting. The groups of works each explore different aspects of the painterly process.
  • “Every boundary – whether it is culturally encoded, materially circumscribed, or rationally established – is a provocation for Michael Müller. Through literature, language, text, music, dance, as well as dress and objects, the artist sets the entire force of his work against any fixed definitions from cultural methodologies and academic determinability. Michael Müller creates an intelligible, artistic network of actions in his oeuvre in which he conceives of its methods and objects as constantly new inquiries into artistic authorship. He makes frameworks of representation visible not only by underining them, but also by revealing patterns of materialization. In so doing, he deploys established genres, practices, and processes, scrutinizing these as parts of an interwoven network that are propelled by their own activity.”

     

    —Heike Fuhlbrügge

  • Schwierige Bilder

    Schwierige Bilder

    The series “Schwierige Bilder” is a group of diptychs, each consisting of a larger picture in landscape format and a smaller picture in portrait format. Both parts of the diptych are hung side by side, though at different angles. In this way, the relationship between the two parts becomes both complex and unequal. In all cases, the smaller picture comes second to the larger, original work, thus acting as a form of commentary within the broader composition. Each painting in the pair took varying time to complete and were painted using different methods. This marked temporal dimension plays a decisive role in further complicating the relationship between the larger and smaller parts. For, although the larger picture came first, the second picture reproduces an earlier state of the first that has been painted over in the final version. Thus, Müller uses the means of reproduction to document and visualize a decision made during the painting process.

  • Short video of 'SCHWiERIGE BILDER' by Michael Müller at Wemhöner Collection, BERLIN 2021

    • Bitch, I'm afraid my vagina is electrified, ... and not being afraid of yellow, 2021 Part 1 (left): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Belgian linen, 199 x 358.5 x 5.5 cm | 78 1/3 x 141 1/4 x 2 1/4 in Part 2 (right): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on Belgian linen, 199 x 147.5 x 5.5 cm | 78 1/3 x 58 x 2 1/4 in

      Bitch, I'm afraid my vagina is electrified, ... and not being afraid of yellow, 2021
      Part 1 (left): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Belgian linen, 199 x 358.5 x 5.5 cm | 78 1/3 x 141 1/4 x 2 1/4 in
      Part 2 (right): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on Belgian linen, 199 x 147.5 x 5.5 cm | 78 1/3 x 58 x 2 1/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EBitch%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3EI%27m%20afraid%20my%20vagina%20is%20electrified%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E...%20and%20not%20being%20afraid%20of%20yellow%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2021%3Cbr%20/%3EPart%201%20%28left%29%3A%20acrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20printed%20Belgian%20linen%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E199%20x%20358.5%20x%205.5%20cm%20%7C%2078%201/3%20x%20141%201/4%20x%202%201/4%20in%20%3Cbr%20/%3EPart%202%20%28right%29%3A%20acrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E199%20x%20147.5%20x%205.5%20cm%20%7C%2078%201/3%20x%2058%20x%202%201/4%20in%20%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/p%3E
    Close
  • “The painting that was and will be is that of art historians and scientists. The painting that is, is that of the living. The painting that is, is that of the painters. Should it be empty of content, which I fear, how could I grasp its essence? To ask about it seems an impertinent injustice.”

    —Michael Müller

  • Mentale Treibhölzer (Handicap)

    Mentale Treibhölzer (Handicap)

    Müller used his fingers to create a further, smaller series of works, “Mentale Treibhölzer (Handicap)”. He also used special tools, to make obstruct and impede the painting process, such as windshield wipers, a mop, a scalpel, rollers or an encrusted, dry brush. The artist thus deconstructs the myth of the artist’s ingenious hand—a myth dating back to the Neolithic period; to the imprint of the human hand found by archaeologists in early cave paintings.

    • Hades Mercato (DAS ENTSTEHEN UNFERTIGER BEGRIFFE), 2020 Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen 443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Hades Mercato (DAS ENTSTEHEN UNFERTIGER BEGRIFFE), 2020
      Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen
      443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EHades%20Mercato%20%28DAS%20ENTSTEHEN%20UNFERTIGER%20BEGRIFFE%29%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2020%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E443%20x%20314%20x%204.5%20cm%20%7C%20174%201/2%20x%20123%202/3%20x%201%203/4%20in%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3E%3C/p%3E
    • Alien Athena, (DIE NOTWENDIGKEIT SCHWULER ABSTRAKTION IM KAMPF GEGEN EINE VERMEINDLICHE KULTURELLE ELITE), 2020 Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen 365 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 143 2/3 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Alien Athena, (DIE NOTWENDIGKEIT SCHWULER ABSTRAKTION IM KAMPF GEGEN EINE VERMEINDLICHE KULTURELLE ELITE), 2020
      Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen
      365 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 143 2/3 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

    • Sandlaufkäfer (DIE BEFREIUNG DER FORM AUS DEM SCHMERZ), 2020 Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen 443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Sandlaufkäfer (DIE BEFREIUNG DER FORM AUS DEM SCHMERZ), 2020
      Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen
      443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3ESandlaufk%26%23228%3Bfer%20%28DIE%20BEFREIUNG%20DER%20FORM%20AUS%20DEM%20SCHMERZ%29%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2020%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E443%20x%20314%20x%204.5%20cm%20%7C%20174%201/2%20x%20123%202/3%20x%201%203/4%20in%3C/p%3E
    • Omus Kathara, (EINE TASSE IM GARTEN VON MONET), 2020 Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen 443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Omus Kathara, (EINE TASSE IM GARTEN VON MONET), 2020
      Acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen
      443 x 314 x 4.5 cm | 174 1/2 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EOmus%20Kathara%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E%28EINE%20TASSE%20IM%20GARTEN%20VON%20MONET%29%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2020%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E443%20x%20314%20x%204.5%20cm%20%7C%20174%201/2%20x%20123%202/3%20x%201%203/4%20in%3C/p%3E
    • Flotsam deep in the Western Pacific Region (DAS HEILENDE BILD), 2020 2-parts work, acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen (2x) 365 x 314 x 4.5 cm / 143 3/4 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Flotsam deep in the Western Pacific Region (DAS HEILENDE BILD), 2020
      2-parts work, acrylic and lacquer on Belgian linen
      (2x) 365 x 314 x 4.5 cm / 143 3/4 x 123 2/3 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EFlotsam%20deep%20in%20the%20Western%20Pacific%20Region%20%28DAS%20HEILENDE%20BILD%29%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2020%3Cbr%20/%3E2-parts%20work%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eacrylic%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E%282x%29%20365%20x%20314%20x%204.5%20cm%20/%20143%203/4%20x%20123%202/3%20x%201%203/4%20in%3C/p%3E
    Close
  • STUDIO VISIT

    STUDIO VISIT

    Michael Müller describes his approach to painting and more specificallyhis take on abstraction, while working on six large paintings for a site-specific installation inside the windows of the gallery’s 9-meter-high Corner Space.

     

  • VOR UND HINTER DEM GLAS

    “Vor und hinter dem Glas” is the title of the first series of abstract paintings, presented by Müller in the main exhibition space. Using a range of materials, from glass, canvas and metal as surfaces to paint on, the artist explores possibilities of shaping the relationship between an image’s projected spatial effects and its nature as a painting and three-dimensional object. By painting on glass, which usually separates the painting from its surroundings, we as viewers see the paint from behind through the transparent surface. The composition of the final work, which in some cases consists of several layers of paint on transparent and non-transparent surfaces, requires Müller to paint in reverse: The mental blueprint of the work’s final composition is painted backwards to forwards. Moreover, the paint seen from behind the glass appears as a smooth, saturated surface. The brushstroke, the physical trace of the artist’s hand—traditionally central to the painterly process— remains hidden; concealed in the small space between the glass and the canvas or wall.

    VOR UND HINTER DEM GLAS

    Tsingtao, 2019
    Acrylic on glass and canvas
    206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

    • SS Shelley, 2019/2020 3 parts work, acrylic and lacquer on glass Rotterdam: 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in Ellis Island (Arshile Gorky): 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in East Hampton: 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in

      SS Shelley, 2019/2020
      3 parts work, acrylic and lacquer on glass
      Rotterdam: 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in
      Ellis Island (Arshile Gorky): 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in
      East Hampton: 165.5 x 125 x 6 cm | 65 x 49 1/4 x 2 1/3 in

    • I want to cum inside your brain, 2019/2020 Acrylic, lacquer and gesso on Belgian linen and glass 180 x 240 cm | 70 3/4 x 94 1/2 in

      I want to cum inside your brain, 2019/2020
      Acrylic, lacquer and gesso on Belgian linen and glass
      180 x 240 cm | 70 3/4 x 94 1/2 in

    Close
    • Asahreppur, 2018/2019 Lacquer and acrylic on glass 186.5 x 146 cm | 73 1/2 x 57 1/2 in

      Asahreppur, 2018/2019
      Lacquer and acrylic on glass
      186.5 x 146 cm | 73 1/2 x 57 1/2 in

    • Dry Morning in January, 2019 Lacquer on Belgian linen and glass 166 x 125.8 cm | 65 1/3 x 49 1/2 in

      Dry Morning in January, 2019
      Lacquer on Belgian linen and glass
      166 x 125.8 cm | 65 1/3 x 49 1/2 in

    • A Letter From Kashi, 2019 Acrylic on glass and linen 206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      A Letter From Kashi, 2019
      Acrylic on glass and linen
      206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EA%20Letter%20From%20Kashi%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2019%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20on%20glass%20and%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E206%20x%20167%20x%206%20cm%20%7C%2081%20x%2065%203/4%20x%202%201/3%20in%3C/p%3E
    • Benares, 2019 Acrylic on glass and linen 206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Benares, 2019
      Acrylic on glass and linen
      206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EBenares%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2019%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20on%20glass%20and%20linen%3Cbr%20/%3E206%20x%20167%20x%206%20cm%20%7C%2081%20x%2065%203/4%20x%202%201/3%20in%3C/p%3E
    • KAFH, 2019 Acrylic on glass 206 x 166 cm | 81 x 65 1/3 in

      KAFH, 2019
      Acrylic on glass
      206 x 166 cm | 81 x 65 1/3 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EKAFH%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2019%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20on%20glass%3Cbr%20/%3E206%20x%20166%20cm%20%7C%2081%20x%2065%201/3%20in%3C/p%3E
    • La Fregeneda, 2018/2019 Acrylic on glass and canvas Framed: 208 x 167 x 6 cm | 82 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      La Fregeneda, 2018/2019
      Acrylic on glass and canvas
      Framed: 208 x 167 x 6 cm | 82 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

    • Shimokita-hantō, 2018/2019 Acrylic, gesso and lacquer on glass 165.5 x 125.8 x 6 cm | 65 1/4 x 49 1/2 x 2 1/3 in

      Shimokita-hantō, 2018/2019
      Acrylic, gesso and lacquer on glass
      165.5 x 125.8 x 6 cm | 65 1/4 x 49 1/2 x 2 1/3 in

    • Bentota, 2018/2019 Acrylic on glass and canvas 208 x 167 cm | 82 x 65 3/4 in

      Bentota, 2018/2019
      Acrylic on glass and canvas
      208 x 167 cm | 82 x 65 3/4 in

    Close
  • URTEILSKRAFT URTEILSKRAFT URTEILSKRAFT URTEILSKRAFT

    URTEILSKRAFT

    The painting-installation Urteilskraft. A single painting is presented in the center of the room, attached with a flexible joint to a free-standing metal pole. The visitor is invited to change and manipulate the orientation of the painting by moving it around. For this purpose, the frame of the painting has been equipped with handles. The viewer is thus enabled to break with otherwise deterministic and standardized formats of exhibiting and viewing painted works.

     


    Ästhetisches Urteil (Entscheidungsträger Name_________), 2020
    Lacquer on Belgian linen
    200 x 160 x 2.5 cm | 78 3/4 x 63 x 1 in

  • Reproduktion von Frühwerken

    Michael Müller began this series, that includes sculptures and drawings as well as paintings, trying to trace back and reconstruct his own development as an artist since childhood. Many of his early clay sculptures, drawings and paintings however are lost or destroyed. Müller therefore aims at reconstructing them from memory, albeit being fully aware that his own memory of them is fragmented and unreliable. Thus, the artist questions whether the reconstruction of something that is lost is at all possible and at the same time asks if and to what extent an artist or author of a work remains the same over the passage of time. And is the lost work ultimately the “original” and the reconstruction secondary, or is the early work instead the “draft” or “design” for the later, mature work?
    Reproduktion von Frühwerken

    Lage der Freiheit, 2019/2020
    Acrylic, gesso, lacquer paint on Belgian canvas and plexiglass
    182 x 283 x 8.5 cm | 71 2/3 x 111 1/2 x 3 1/3 in

    • Dekonstruktion von Radikal 153 (Haut), 2019/2020 Acrylic, lacquer and gesso on glass and aluminum 203 x 163 cm | 80 x 64 1/4 in

      Dekonstruktion von Radikal 153 (Haut), 2019/2020
      Acrylic, lacquer and gesso on glass and aluminum
      203 x 163 cm | 80 x 64 1/4 in

    • I met Hannah Berg, 2019/2020 Acrylic and lacquer on glass 165.5 x 125.8 x 6 cm | 65 1/4 x 49 1/2 x 2 1/3 in

      I met Hannah Berg, 2019/2020
      Acrylic and lacquer on glass
      165.5 x 125.8 x 6 cm | 65 1/4 x 49 1/2 x 2 1/3 in

    • Dekonstruktion von Radikal 43 (Sterben), 2019 Acrylic and lacquer paint on Belgian linen and glass 166 x 126 x 6 cm | 65 1/3 x 49 2/3 x 2 1/3 in

      Dekonstruktion von Radikal 43 (Sterben), 2019
      Acrylic and lacquer paint on Belgian linen and glass
      166 x 126 x 6 cm | 65 1/3 x 49 2/3 x 2 1/3 in

    • Dekonstruktion von Radikal 10, 2018/2019 Acrylic and lacquer on on Belgian linen and glass 185.5 x 145.5 x 6 cm | 73 x 57 1/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Dekonstruktion von Radikal 10, 2018/2019
      Acrylic and lacquer on on Belgian linen and glass
      185.5 x 145.5 x 6 cm | 73 x 57 1/4 x 2 1/3 in

    Close
  • “Painting and people share the fate of being incomprehensible. They are beyond rationality. They are both banal.”

     

    —Michael Müller

  • Verschränkte Werke

    Verschränkte Werke

    In the series “Verschränkte Werke,” Müller uses the analogy of entangled particles to describe the relationship between two sides of a diptych painted on glass. In quantum theory, entangled particles describe an as-yet unexplained phenomena, whereby two particles or objects are described in reference to one another though they are spatially separated—often by light-years. Changes in one object become observable in the other even though they have no means of communicating. Leaning on the quantum mechanical notion of the “freedom-of-choice loophole,” Müller argues that the degree of autonomy within abstract painting has been overestimated, and that there remain countless unknown influences, limitations, and preconditions that subtly restrict an artist’s range of choices, not to mention the physical laws of gravity and their implications for both painting and perception.

    • Nr. 3 & 4, The shoulder on which to bear time, 2019/2020 2 parts work, acrylic, gesso and lacquer on glass and Alu-Dibond Each, framed: 206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Nr. 3 & 4, The shoulder on which to bear time, 2019/2020
      2 parts work, acrylic, gesso and lacquer on glass and Alu-Dibond
      Each, framed: 206 x 167 x 6 cm | 81 x 65 3/4 x 2 1/3 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3ENr.%203%20%26%204%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3EThe%20shoulder%20on%20which%20to%20bear%20time%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2019/2020%3Cbr%20/%3E2%20parts%20work%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eacrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20glass%20and%20Alu-Dibond%3Cbr%20/%3EEach%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eframed%3A%20206%20x%20167%20x%206%20cm%20%7C%2081%20x%2065%203/4%20x%202%201/3%20in%3C/p%3E
    • Distrito Paulistano da Liberdade, 2021 Acrylic and lacquer on Alu-Dibond and glass 2-part work Each, framed: 193.6 × 144.3 × 4.5 cm | 76 1/4 x 56 3/4 x 1 3/4 in

      Distrito Paulistano da Liberdade, 2021
      Acrylic and lacquer on Alu-Dibond and glass
      2-part work
      Each, framed: 193.6 × 144.3 × 4.5 cm | 76 1/4 x 56 3/4 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EDistrito%20Paulistano%20da%20Liberdade%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2021%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Alu-Dibond%20and%20glass%3Cbr%20/%3E2-part%20work%3Cbr%20/%3EEach%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eframed%3A%20193.6%20%26%23215%3B%20144.3%20%26%23215%3B%204.5%20cm%20%7C%2076%201/4%20x%2056%203/4%20x%201%203/4%20in%20%3C/p%3E
    • There is a Rainbow Behind the Hills Nr.2 (Nachhall), 2019/2020 2 parts work, lacquer on Belgian linen (2x) 60 x 120 cm | 23 2/3 x 47 1/4 in each

      There is a Rainbow Behind the Hills Nr.2 (Nachhall), 2019/2020
      2 parts work, lacquer on Belgian linen
      (2x) 60 x 120 cm | 23 2/3 x 47 1/4 in each

    • Nothing is Real (Malen nach Zahlen) 2021 Part 1 (left): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on Belgian linen, 183.3 x 243.4 x 3.5 cm | 72 1/4 x 95 3/4 x 1 1/2 in Part 2 (right): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Belgian linen, 183.3 x 143.2 x 3.5 cm | 72 1/4 x 56 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

      Nothing is Real (Malen nach Zahlen)
      2021
      Part 1 (left): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on Belgian linen, 183.3 x 243.4 x 3.5 cm | 72 1/4 x 95 3/4 x 1 1/2 in
      Part 2 (right): acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Belgian linen, 183.3 x 143.2 x 3.5 cm | 72 1/4 x 56 1/2 x 1 1/2 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3ENothing%20is%20Real%20%28Malen%20nach%20Zahlen%29%3Cbr%20/%3E2021%3Cbr%20/%3EPart%201%20%28left%29%3A%20acrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20Belgian%20linen%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E183.3%20x%20243.4%20x%203.5%20cm%20%7C%2072%201/4%20x%2095%203/4%20x%201%201/2%20in%20%3Cbr%20/%3EPart%202%20%28right%29%3A%20acrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20printed%20Belgian%20linen%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E183.3%20x%20143.2%20x%203.5%20cm%20%7C%2072%201/4%20x%2056%201/2%20x%201%201/2%20in%3C/p%3E
    Close
  • “Painting means essence and not plurality. To look for the spirit of painting in language will fail. A picture is always singular.”

     

    —Michael Müller

  • Abstrakte Autogamie

    Abstrakte Autogamie

    The series, “Abstrakte Autogamie” combines photography and painting; blending together themes of figuration and abstraction. In this series, photographs are printed on aluminum dibond sheets and framed behind an abstract glass painting. Though both parts of the diptych are based on the same image, they appear in a mirrored, enlarged or otherwise abstracted form, thus making their relationship at once tangible yet complex. Aside from their shared color palette and image reference, the painting and photograph behind it are conceived of as compositionally independent. The term autogamy, in the series’ title, is borrowed from the field of biology, where it describes the phenomenon of self-pollination or self-fertilization among certain plant and animal species. Müller’s “autogamies” show men and women masturbating. Müller sees the eradication of the dialectical separation between subject and object in auto-sexuality as analogous to abstraction—to painting an object that only refers to itself. Like in auto-sexuality a partner or object is often imagined—projected—from memory, thus begging the question: What is the pictorial memory of abstraction?

    • Motivbild Nr. 8 (HENDRICK), 2020 Acrylic and color lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond 196 x 145.5 x 4 cm | 77 1/4 x 57 1/4 x 1 1/2 in

      Motivbild Nr. 8 (HENDRICK), 2020
      Acrylic and color lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond
      196 x 145.5 x 4 cm | 77 1/4 x 57 1/4 x 1 1/2 in

    • Fernwirkung, 2021 2 parts work, acrylic, lacquer and gesso on glass and printed aluminum Each, framed: 202 x 145 x 4.5 cm | 79 1/2 x 57 x 1 3/4 in

      Fernwirkung, 2021
      2 parts work, acrylic, lacquer and gesso on glass and printed aluminum
      Each, framed: 202 x 145 x 4.5 cm | 79 1/2 x 57 x 1 3/4 in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3EFernwirkung%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2021%3Cbr%20/%3E2%20parts%20work%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eacrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Elacquer%20and%20gesso%20on%20glass%20and%20printed%20aluminum%3Cbr%20/%3EEach%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Eframed%3A%20202%20x%20145%20x%204.5%20cm%20%7C%2079%201/2%20x%2057%20x%201%203/4%20in%3C/p%3E
    • Motivbild Nr. 6 (Anton), 2020 Acrylic and color lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond (2x) 200 x 144 cm | 78 3/4 x 56 2/3 in

      Motivbild Nr. 6 (Anton), 2020
      Acrylic and color lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond
      (2x) 200 x 144 cm | 78 3/4 x 56 2/3 in

    • Motivbild Nr. 7 (BAMBOO) 2020 2 parts work, acrylic and lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond 202 x 145 x 6 cm | 79 1/2 x 57 x 2 1/3 in

      Motivbild Nr. 7 (BAMBOO)
      2020
      2 parts work, acrylic and lacquer on glass and printed Alu-Dibond
      202 x 145 x 6 cm | 79 1/2 x 57 x 2 1/3 in

    Close
  • “Painting is a process with a double meaning. It is a Delphic document of the progress of the negotiation between painter and matter in the picture and evidence of the painter’s final departure from painting, letting a picture simply be a picture—as an admission.”

     

    —Michael Müller

    • Framing small world, 2021 Acrylic lacquer on printed Alu-Dibond and glass Neon yellow wooden frame and distance bar Framed: 199.7 × 152.7 × 5 cm | 78 ⅔ × 60 × 2 in

      Framing small world, 2021
      Acrylic lacquer on printed Alu-Dibond and glass
      Neon yellow wooden frame and distance bar
      Framed: 199.7 × 152.7 × 5 cm | 78 ⅔ × 60 × 2 in

    • ohne Titel, 2022 Acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Alu-Dibond and glass Aluminium frame and distance bar Framed: 202 × 152 × 4 cm | 79 ½ × 59 ¾ × 1 ½ in

      ohne Titel, 2022
      Acrylic, gesso and lacquer on printed Alu-Dibond and glass
      Aluminium frame and distance bar
      Framed: 202 × 152 × 4 cm | 79 ½ × 59 ¾ × 1 ½ in

      Inquire
      %3Cp%3Eohne%20Titel%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3E2022%3Cbr%20/%3EAcrylic%3Cspan%20class%3D%22comma%22%3E%2C%20%3C/span%3Egesso%20and%20lacquer%20on%20printed%20Alu-Dibond%20and%20glass%3Cbr%20/%3EAluminium%20frame%20and%20distance%20bar%3Cbr%20/%3EFramed%3A%20202%20%26%23215%3B%20152%20%26%23215%3B%204%20cm%20%7C%2079%20%26%23189%3B%20%26%23215%3B%2059%20%26%23190%3B%20%26%23215%3B%201%20%26%23189%3B%20in%3C/p%3E
    Close
  • ABOUT THE ARTIST

    ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Michael Müllers’s work develops out of existing historical narratives, methods and norms: systems which he pushes to their limits by modifying them along fictitious lines. His practice engages with the pictorialization of complex thought processes, whose transformation by various methods constitutes a slow and patient appropriation. Müller’s approach merges all kinds of different media including drawing, sculpture, installation, video and performance. He is also known for his curatorial practice and has frequently curated exhibitions of his own work and that of other artists.


    Michael Müller, born 1970 in Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany, lives and works in Berlin. He studied sculpting and fine arts with Magdalena Jetelová at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. From 2015 to 2018 he has been a professor at Berlin University of the Arts. In 2018, he was nominated for the Prize of the Böttcherstraße at Kunsthalle Bremen. He received great critical and curatorial attention for his cycle “Eighteen Exhibitions”, begun in 2013 with Galerie Thomas Schulte. In the summer of 2017, this ended after a total of 33 individual exhibition projects and four performances that took place in the gallery, in the KW Institute for Contemporary Art in Berlin (2015/16) and in the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (2016/17). Currently the artist’s work can be seen in a solo show at the Staedel Museum in Frankfurt a.M., Germany. The centerpiece of this exhibition is the monumental painting The Given Day, which measures a total of 6 × 65 metres and is made up of 24 large-format canvases. He is also preparing a diverse group exhibition as both a curator and an exhibiting artist at the Museum im Kulturspeicher in Würzburg, Germany.

Manage cookies
© Galerie Thomas Schulte GmbH 2020 / www.galeriethomasschulte.de
Online Viewing Rooms by Artlogic
Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Artsy, opens in a new tab.
Artnet, opens in a new tab.

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Signup

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.