Neo Rauch

NEO RAUCH AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM, New York

"Neo Rauch at the Met: para" presents 14 new paintings made specifically for this exhibition by the artist (b. 1960, Leipzig, Germany), one of the most widely acclaimed painters of his generation. This is the third in the museum's series dedicated to artists at mid-career, following exhibitions of Tony Oursler in 2005 and Kara Walker in 2006. Educated at the now legendary Leipzig Academy by the old school of Social Realist painters, Rauch has become one of the Academy’s most influential graduates. His fusion of industrial symbolism, painterly figuration, and a unique brand of Neo-Romanticism are influenced in part by his experience growing up in East Germany. For the show at the Met, the artist was inspired by misplaced memories and momentary perceptions that are lost before they can be named. In this vein, Rauch has titled his exhibition "para." After the Met, the exhibition travels to the Max Ernst Museum in Brühl, Germany in October. The exhibition catalog, with an essay by Werner Spies, has been published by DuMont.