Jiri Georg Dokoupil Biography

Jiří Georg Dokoupil is a multifaceted artist whose career has been defined by constant reinvention and formal experimentation. Raised in Prague and later based in West Germany, he studied art in Cologne, Frankfurt, and at the Cooper Union in New York. In the early 1980s, he co-founded the Mülheimer Freiheit group, which challenged the dominance of Minimalism and Conceptual art at the time, advocating for a vibrant, figurative painting free from dogma.

Dokoupil is renowned for his refusal to adopt a single, signature style, choosing instead to explore unconventional techniques and experimental processes. Among his most celebrated series are the Soap Bubble Paintings, created by blowing pigment and soap onto the canvas; the Candle Soot Paintings, made with candle smoke; and works using sprayed pigment, bicycle wheels, and even whips. This playful yet radical approach reflects his deep interest in the physicality of painting and the transformation of materials. Over more than four decades, Dokoupil has held solo exhibitions at leading museums and galleries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and has participated in major international shows such as Documenta and the Venice Biennale. His work is represented in the collections of institutions including the Centre Pompidou, Museo Reina Sofía, Hamburger Bahnhof, and Kunsthaus Zürich, securing his place as one of the most inventive and versatile figures in contemporary painting.

Courtesy Baró Galeria

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