Galerie Lelong
Arnulf Rainer , Austria
"Reminiszenz"
1955-2025
Arnulf Rainer Sans titre, 1987/1988 Crayon gras et huile sur toile, 200,5 × 124 cm © Arnulf Rainer. Courtesy Galerie Lelong
In Austria in the 1950s, Arnulf Rainer developed a particularly obsessive way of drawing and painting. In 1951, with the artist Maria Lassnig, he visited André Breton in Paris. His work, initially influenced by surrealism, evolved towards a sort of informal, radical art. In the early 1960s, he worked on his own image, furiously modifying photo booth shots, photographic self-portraits where he adopted deliberately grotesque poses. He thus was recognized as one of the main protagonists of Viennese Actionism. Then overpainting (Übermalung) became his trademark: his works are made from successive layers of paint that cover an initial image, sometimes to such an extent that it is no longer visible. This is not just a simple game, but a sort of intense ritual mobilising all the painter’s energy.
Arnulf Rainer was born in 1929 in Baden (Austria) where a museum dedicated to his work opened in 2009. He lives and works in Austria and Tenerife.
Solo show of Arnulf Rainer
From May 15th to July 11th, 2025
The gallery
The creation of the gallery in 1945 in Paris by Aimé Maeght was marked, during the first thirty years, by the presentation of major artists such as Joan Miró, Alexander Calder, Marc Chagall, Alberto Giacometti, Eduardo Chillida, Antoni Tàpies, and Francis Bacon. Upon Maeght’s passing in 1981, the gallery took its current name and was led by three equal partners: Jacques Dupin, Daniel Lelong, and Jean Frémon (J. Dupin passed away in 2012, the same year D. Lelong stepped down as president, handing over the role to J. Frémon, the current director of both the Paris and New York galleries).
From the 1980s onwards, significant artists such as Pierre Alechinsky, Louise Bourgeois, Konrad Klapheck, Jannis Kounellis, and Joan Miró, among others, joined the gallery. Galerie Lelong New York opened in 1985 and has been led since 1990 by Mary Sabbatino, expanding the program to major figures of the Latin American art scene: Alfredo Jaar, Ana Mendieta, Cildo Meireles, Hélio Oiticica, and Zilia Sánchez.
Today, the gallery continues its history, showcasing leading artists from the global art scene such as Etel Adnan, Marc Desgrandchamps, Leonardo Drew, Barry Flanagan, Günther Förg, Hyunsun Jeon, David Hockney, Nalini Malani, David Nash, Jaume Plensa, Arnulf Rainer, Paula Rego, Christine Safa, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, and Barthélémy Toguo.
The gallery has developed the production of monumental sculptures intended for public spaces with artists such as Jaume Plensa, Ursula von Rydingsvard, and Jean Dubuffet, thanks to a privileged relationship with the Dubuffet Foundation.
Gallery artists
Etel Adnan, Pierre Alechinsky, Karel Appel, James Brown, Eduardo Chillida, Nicola De Maria, Marc Desgrandchamps, Leonardo Drew, Jean Dubuffet, Simone Fattal, Barry Flanagan, Günther Förg, Ficre Ghebreyesus, Andy Goldsworthy, Sarah Grilo, Jane Hammond, David Hockney, Frank Horvat, Jean-Baptiste Huynh, Konrad Klapheck, Jiri Kolàr, Jannis Kounellis, Nalini Malani, Ana Mendieta, Henri Michaux, Joan Miró, David Nash, Ernest Pignon-Ernest, Jaume Plensa, Arnulf Rainer, Paula Rego, Alison Saar, Christine Safa, Sean Scully, Kate Shepherd, Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero, Antoni Tàpies, Mildred Thompson, Barthélémy Toguo, Richard Tuttle, Juan Uslé, Marion Verboom, Fabienne Verdier, Ursula von Rydingsvard, Jan Voss, Wang Yan Cheng
