One of the outstanding artists of the present day
Max Uhlig is one of the outstanding, internationally renowned German painters of the present day. His works can be found in many renowned museums around the world: from the Tate Gallery in London to the Metropolitan Museum in New York and almost all the well-known museums in Germany. He became known for his characteristic landscapes and portraits, which he creates in expressive, vital rhythms of vibrant black or colored dots and strokes. His unmistakable meshes of lines and brushstrokes are characterized by spontaneity and sparkling colourfulness.
“For me, something becomes interesting when it becomes unfamiliar after looking at it for a long time” – Max Uhlig
Since the late 1960s, the artist has transferred deep contemplation, which becomes the method of the painting process, into his striking pictorial structures. The strokes and dabs of his painting neglect the surface, penetrating deeper, creating the impression of disembodied traces of essential appearance. In addition to portraits, it is above all landscapes that fascinate Max Uhlig anew. Uhlig awakens his pictorial motifs from splintery layers of paint and explosive bundles of strokes.
In January 1996, a fire in the “Künstlerhaus” studio in Dresden-Loschwitz destroyed a large part of Max Uhlig’s work. Nevertheless, the artist was able to make a huge gift to the Free State of Saxony in 2017: He handed over his studio as a converted and expanded factory building along with 15,214 works of art, a catalog library, memorabilia and personal documents as a donation as part of a bequest. “This is a great opportunity for Dresden as a cultural location and for Saxony’s culture in general” – Eva-Maria Stange, Minister of Art.
Exhibitions and art fairs
2024:
– Max Uhlig: Longing for Provence – Portraits vis-à-vis, Anhaltische Gemäldegalerie, Dessau, Germany
2022:
– Max Uhlig. The Drawn World – A cabinet exhibition in honor of the 85th birthday of the artist, Museum Pfalzgalerie, Kaiserslautern, Germany
– The Rhythm of the Line – Drawings by Max Uhlig, Saxon Academy of Arts, Dresden, Germany
2021:
– Portrait and Landscape, Gallery Alte Schule, Ahrenshoop, Germany
2020:
– Max Uhlig: The moving line in expressive rhythm, Döbele Art, Mannheim, Germany
2014:
– Grown before nature, Kunstmuseum Magdeburg – Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen, Magdeburg, Germany
2013:
– People, Scenes, Landscapes, Gallery Klose, Essen, Germany
– Man and Landscape, Käthe Kollwitz Museum, Cologne, Germany
2012:
– Print, Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden, Germany
– Painting and works on paper, Kunstverein Die Wassermühle e.V., Lohne, Germany
– Works on paper, Palais Leopold, Munich, Germany
– Waiting and Passers-by, Beeskow Castle, Beeskow, Germany
2011:
– Watercolors and colored drawings from three decades, Gallery Döbele, Dresden, Germany
– Max Uhlig and Claus Weidensdorfer: Works on paper, Brandenburgische Kunstsammlungen, Cottbus, Germany
– Max Uhlig – Black – from the graphic work, Gallery Scheffel, Bad Homburg, Germany
2010:
– Art in GDR times: Three Nonconformists, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
2009:
– In dialog with nature, Gallery Klose, Essen, Germany
2008:
– Artists of the gallery: Angelika Bartholl, Max Uhlig, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
2007:
– Drawings, Ningbo Museum of Art, Ningbo, China
– Landscapes, Heck-Art-Gallery, Chemnitz, Germany
– Retrospective on the 70th, Gallery at Sachsenplatz, Leipzig, Germany
2006:
– Here Byoung, San Xiang Art Space, Shanghai, China
2005:
– Head. Figure. Landscape, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
– In small format, Gallery Scheffel, Homburg, Germany
2004:
– Works from 50 years, Gallery Beethovenstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
2003:
– Change of Seasons, Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, Osnabrück, Germany
– Portraits and Landscapes, Gallery Klose, Essen, Germany
2001:
– Early works 1960-1980, Gallery Oben, Chemnitz, Germany
2000:
– Head Studies + Landscape, Gallery Scheffel, Bad Homburg, Germany
1999:
– Paintings and works on paper 1970 to 1999, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
– Portraits, Galería Arnés y Röpke, Madrid, Spain
1996:
– Paysage De La Provence. New portraits, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
– Discovered in the studio – paintings never shown before, Gallery Beethovenstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
1995:
– For 40 years, Museum Castle Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
– On Paper – Art of the 20th Century at Deutsche Bank, Kunsthalle Schirn, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
1994:
– At Mont Ventoux, Gallery Stefan Röpke, Cologne, Germany
– German Painters after 1945, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cambridge, United Kingdom
1993:
– Retrospective, Albertinum, Dresden, Germany
1992:
– Paintings, watercolors and drawings, Gallery von Loeper, Hamburg, Germany
1991:
– Paintings and watercolors, drawings and graphics, Museum Castle Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
– Nordic Plenair – Impressions of a Landscape, Gallery Beethovenstraße, Düsseldorf, Germany
– Blickwechsel, Gallery von Oppenheim, Cologne, Germany
1990:
– Pictures from Germany, Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, Cologne, Germany
1989:
– 13 painters from the GDR, Kunsthalle, Emden, Germany
1986:
– From Beuys to Stella – International Graphics, Kupferstichkabinett, Berlin, Germany
1985:
– Dresden Today – Painting and Graphics after 1945, Gallery Döbele, Ravensburg, Germany
1984:
– Max Uhlig – A painter from Dresden, Gallery Brusberg, Berlin/Hanover, Germany
1981:
– Painting and Graphics of the GDR, Musée d’art moderne, Paris, France
1980:
– Painting and Graphics, Central Institute for Nuclear Research Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
1977:
– Selected watercolors by artists of the GDR, Gallery at Sachsenplatz, Dresden, Germany
1974:
– 25 Years of Graphic Art in the GDR, Altes Museum, Berlin, Germany
– Drawings in the Art of the GDR, Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden, Germany
1972:
– Contemporary Art of the GDR, Seibu-Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan
1964:
– 8 young artists, Centralne Biuro Wystaw, Warsaw, Poland
Works in museums and collections
– Aachen, Ludwig Forum for International Art, Germany
– Albstadt, Art Museum Albstadt, Germany
– Altenburg, State Lindenau Museum, Germany
– Basel, Museum of Art, Switzerland
– Berkeley, USA, Berkeley Art Museum
– Berlin, Academy of Arts, Germany
– Berlin, New National Gallery, Germany
– Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett, Germany
– Berlin, Märkisches Museum, Germany
– Berlin, German Bundestag, Germany
– Berlin, Art Collection of the Federal Government (Jakob-Kaiser-Haus), Germany
– Brunswick, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Germany
– Bremen, Kunsthalle, Germany
– Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum (Graphic Art Collection), Hungary
– Coburg, Municipal Art Collections of the Veste Coburg, Germany
– Dresden, State Art Collections, Germany
– Düsseldorf, Kunstmuseum im Ehrenhof, Germany
– Emden, Kunsthalle, Germany
– Erfurt, Angermuseum, Germany
– Esslingen, Villa Merkel (Municipal Gallery), Germany
– Frankfurt/Main, Museum for Communication, Germany
– Frankfurt/Oder, Gallery Young Art, Germany
– Gera, Art Gallery Orangery, Germany
– Halle, Kunstmuseum Moritzburg (Graphic Art Collection), Germany
– Hamburg, Kunsthalle (Graphic Art Collection), Germany
– Hamburg, ART Art Collection, Germany
– Hamburg, Protestant Academy, Germany
– Hanover, State Chancellery of Lower Saxony, Germany
– Hanover, Sprengel Museum, Germany
– Hanover, Collection of the Norddeutsche Landesbank, Germany
– Kiel, Kunsthalle, Germany
– Kiel, Ministry of Culture of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
– Leipzig, Museum of Fine Arts, Germany
– Leipzig, Gemäldesammlung & Graphisches Kabinett, Germany
– Leverkusen, Museum Schloß Morsbroich, Germany
– London, British Museum (Collection of Prints and Drawings), United Kingdom
– London, Tate Gallery (Prints and Drawings Collection), United Kingdom
– London, Victoria & Albert Museum (Prints and Drawings Collection), United Kingdom
– Munich, Staatsgalerie Moderne Kunst (Graphic Collection), Germany
– New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art (Graphic Collection), USA
– Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Germany
– Nuremberg, Kunsthalle Nuremberg, Germany
– Osnabrück, Felix-Nussbaum-Haus, Germany
– Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, France
– Regensburg, Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Germany
– Rostock, Kunsthalle Rostock, Germany
– Schleswig, Museum Schloss Gottorf, Germany
– Schwerin, State Museum, Germany
– Seoul, Korea University, South Korea
– St. Louis, St. Louis Art Museum, USA
– Stuttgart, Daimler Art Collection, Germany
– Szczecin, National Museum, Germany
– Warsaw, National Museum (Graphic Collection), Poland
– Washington, Library of Congress (Prints and Drawings Collection), USA
– Weimar, State Art Collections, Germany
– Vienna, Albertina (Graphic Collection), Austria
– Wiesbaden, Museum Wiesbaden, Germany
– Würzburg, Diözesanmuseum, Germany
Awards and prizes
2022:
– Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Dresden, Germany
2020:
– Art Prize of the Foundation in Honor of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Chemnitz, Germany
2009/2006:
– Prizes of the 14th and 15th International Print Biennale, Seoul, South Korea
2005:
– Art Prize of the Artists, Düsseldorf, Germany
2003:
– Art Prize of the State Capital, Dresen, Germany
1998:
– Hans-Theo-Richter-Prize, Germany
– Saxon Order of Merit, Germany
1991:
– 2nd prize at the 21st Biennial, Sao Paulo, Brazil
1987:
– Käthe Kollwitz Prize of the Academy of Arts, GDR, Germany
1979:
– Lund Humphrey Prize of the 6th British International Print Biennale, Bradford, United Kingdom
1966:
– 1st Prize of the Pirckheimer Society for Small Graphics, Hamburg, Germany
Born in Dresden in 1937, the artist has received numerous national and international awards for his work. In 1987, he was awarded the Käthe Kollwitz Prize of the Academy of Arts (GDR) and in 1998 the Hans Theo Richter Prize and the Saxon Order of Merit. In 2003 he received the Art Prize of the State Capital of Dresden and in 2005 the Art Prize of the Artists in Düsseldorf. Most recently, Max Uhlig was awarded the Art Prize in Honor of Karl Schmidt-Rottluff Chemnitz 2020.
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