RENÉ WIRTHS

A virtuoso painter, René Wirths is renowned for his still lifes, which are both objective and meditative, and where each object represented — a sneaker, a coffee pot, a pair of headphones, a spray bottle — is treated in an hyper-realist manner that captures every detail and texture. Far beyond a mere imitation of reality, Wirths bestows upon everyday objects an almost sculptural presence, revealing their symbolic weight and silent essence. Representation gives way to reflection, resulting in a physical and metaphysical experience. With the new series, however, René Wirths, for the first time, places his subjects at the centre of a prism of light with divergent rays. His gaze oscillates between accessible reality and subjective vision, focusing on the role of the image in our experience of the world — a perspective fully dedicated to the art of painting.

René Wirths offers a highly personal homage to the great masters of art history, from Édouard Manet’s “Fifer” to “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog” by seminal German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. “I am finally liberating myself from the process that forced me to reflect the outside world solely through the prism of my own observation,” the artist explains. “I have developed a new vocabulary, more inward-looking, inspired by my readings, music and discussions. My subject has shifted: I allow myself to stage my great masters of art history through a new perspective, freed from the material universe that surrounds me.”

The “I Can’t Get No” exhibition — its title a discreet nod by this discerning music lover to the famous song by legendary group The Rolling Stones — underscores the importance of rhythm in René Wirths’ oeuvre and interrogates the mysterious, sometimes elusive, aura of a work of art. What knowledge, what memory or personal experience allows one to reveal the profound meaning of a work of art?

Born in 1967, René Wirths grew up in West Berlin where he still resides. He has exhibited his work in several international galleries, including Galerie Michael Haas in Berlin. He also took part in the 2000 Geneva Biennale in 2000. His work has featured in several solo exhibitions including at the Rotterdam Kunsthal in 2011, Kunsthalle Bremerhaven in Germany in 2016 and Haus am Lützowplatz in Germany in 2016. It has also been included in numerous group exhibitions, such as at the Villa Manin di Passariano in Italy in 2002, Galerie im Parlament/Preussischer Landtag in Germany in 2003, Museum Gegenstandsfreier Kunst in Germany in 2008, Zoya Museum in Moldova in 2009, Olbricht Collection, La maison rouge - Fondation Antoine de Galbert in Paris in 2011, Museum Maulbronn in Germany in 2014, Centre of Contemporary Art in Poland in 2018, Museum für Aktuelle Kunst in Germany in 2018, Haus am Lützowplatz in Germany in 2019, Studio im Hochhaus in Germany in 2020 and Museum für neue Kunst in Germany in 2023. He is taking part in a group exhibition at the Arthena Foundation in Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2025.