Clemens Weiss
Encyclopedia
Clemens Weiss is a German artist living in the United States.
and Düsseldorf
(Germany], and Vienna
(Austria). Beginning in 1974, he also worked as an independent artist. In 1983 he moved to the small town of Süchteln
in Germany in order to concentrate on his own philosophical and visual work. Since 1986 he has maintained a studio in Mönchengladbach
in Germany (where he finished and documented his body of work) and, in 1987, moved to New York
where he established his main studio and residence.
He is engaged in international cultural exchange to oppose the large dangers threatening mankind. His sculpture Regarding Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon was permanently installed in 1996 at the Palace of Nations (UN) in Geneva
, as an official present from the Federal Republic of Germany
to the United Nations
. The sculpture consists of a group of stele
s with forty-two handwritten texts related to international nuclear treaties and covers the complexity of the nuclear age until 1995, the year the sculpture was finished.
Weiss investigates, and attempts by means of Installation
and other groups of works, to bridge the different disciplines of art and philosophy. His installations are transparent glass constructions that often contain drawings, text, paintings, and objects and he uses a similar technique in his theater productions.
His work is represented in prominent museums, including the Museum of Modern Art
, (MOMA) in New York and the Pushkin Museum
in Moscow.
Clemens Weiss lives in New York, Mönchengladbach and Berlin.
, Folkwang Museum (Essen), Hamburger Bahnhof
(Berlin), New York Public Library
(The Spencer Collection), Pushkin Museum
(Moscow), Palace of Nations (Geneva), University of South Florida
(Art Museum), Von der Heydt Museum
(Wuppertal, Germany) and Wadsworth Atheneum
, Hartford (USA).
Youth and Education
Clemens Weiss grew up in the Region of the Lower Rhine Valley where he received technical training in mechanical engineering from 1970 to 1973. From 1977 to 1982, he studied art, philosophy, medicine and geology in KrefeldKrefeld
Krefeld , also known as Crefeld until 1929, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located northwest of Düsseldorf, its centre lying just a few kilometres to the west of the River Rhine; the borough of Uerdingen is situated directly on the Rhine...
and Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
(Germany], and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
(Austria). Beginning in 1974, he also worked as an independent artist. In 1983 he moved to the small town of Süchteln
Süchteln
Süchteln is a section of Viersen, a town which is the centre of the Kreis of Viersen in North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.Süchteln was formerly an independent town; the Catholic parish church of St Clement is at its centre...
in Germany in order to concentrate on his own philosophical and visual work. Since 1986 he has maintained a studio in Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
in Germany (where he finished and documented his body of work) and, in 1987, moved to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where he established his main studio and residence.
Work and Projects
Weiss, who is represented by the renowned Ronald Feldman Gallery in New York, had his first exhibition there in 1988. Since then, he has exhibited in galleries, art foundations and museums, often in conjunction with lectures and panels, and has shown many other art, theater and public sculptural projects in the United States and in Europe. Clemens Weiss has also acted as curator of large transatlantic arts and media projects, including a project for the German publication Juni (which was also published in a New York edition for the occasion), that consisted of an exhibition in Germany of specially-created print editions by New York artists in 1991.He is engaged in international cultural exchange to oppose the large dangers threatening mankind. His sculpture Regarding Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapon was permanently installed in 1996 at the Palace of Nations (UN) in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, as an official present from the Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
. The sculpture consists of a group of stele
Stele
A stele , also stela , is a stone or wooden slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected for funerals or commemorative purposes, most usually decorated with the names and titles of the deceased or living — inscribed, carved in relief , or painted onto the slab...
s with forty-two handwritten texts related to international nuclear treaties and covers the complexity of the nuclear age until 1995, the year the sculpture was finished.
Weiss investigates, and attempts by means of Installation
Installation art
Installation art describes an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called Land art; however, the boundaries between...
and other groups of works, to bridge the different disciplines of art and philosophy. His installations are transparent glass constructions that often contain drawings, text, paintings, and objects and he uses a similar technique in his theater productions.
His work is represented in prominent museums, including the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, (MOMA) in New York and the Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
in Moscow.
Clemens Weiss lives in New York, Mönchengladbach and Berlin.
Individual exhibitions (selection)
- 2007 Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York
- 2004 Galerie Bernd Lutze, Friedrichshafen (Germany)
- 2004 kunstraumno.10, Mönchengladbach (Germany)
- 2002 Kunstraum Syltquelle, SyltSyltSylt is an island in northern Germany, part of Nordfriesland district, Schleswig-Holstein, and well known for the distinctive shape of its shoreline. It belongs to the North Frisian Islands and is the largest island in North Frisia...
- 1998 Museum Bochum, BochumBochumBochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
(Germany) - 1996 Palace of Nations, United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(Switzerland) - 1994 Galerie Seippel, CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
- 1992 Neuer Aachener Kunstverein AachenAachenAachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
- 1989 Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, Cologne
- 1989 Art CologneArt CologneArt Cologne is an art fair held annually in Cologne, Germany and was established in 1967 as Kölner Kunstmarkt. It is regarded the world's oldest art fair of its kind. The fair runs for six days and brings together galleries from more than 20 countries...
, Förderkoje Galerie Lohrl, Cologne - 1989 Anderson Gallery, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
, Richmond (USA)
Group exhibitions (selection)
- 2001 Folkwang Museum, Essen. (Neuerwerbungen)
- 2001 Museum Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen. (Darlings)
- 2000 Expo 2000Expo 2000Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground , which is famous for hosting CeBIT...
, Hannover. (post editionen) - 1999 Neue NationalgalerieNeue NationalgalerieNeue Nationalgalerie at the Kulturforum is a museum for modern art in Berlin, with its main focus on the early 20th century. It is part of the Nationalgalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin...
, Berlin (Das XX. Jahrhundert – 100 Jahre Kunst in Deutschland) - 1991 Ludwig Forum für Internationale KunstLudwig Forum für Internationale KunstThe Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst is a museum of modern art in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in a former industrial building that was once an umbrella factory , designed in Bauhaus style and built in 1928.The museum contains exemplary major works of American pop art...
, Aachen. (Transzendenz/Transparenz)
Collections
Clemens Weiss has works in the collections of the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, Folkwang Museum (Essen), Hamburger Bahnhof
Hamburger Bahnhof
Hamburger Bahnhof is a former railway station in Berlin, Germany, on Invalidenstraße in the Moabit district opposite the Charité hospital. Today it serves as the Museum für Gegenwart , a contemporary art museum....
(Berlin), New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
(The Spencer Collection), Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
(Moscow), Palace of Nations (Geneva), University of South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
(Art Museum), Von der Heydt Museum
Von der Heydt Museum
Von der Heydt Museum is a museum in Wuppertal, Germany.The Von der Heydt Museum includes works by 19th and 20th century artists. The first of Pablo Picasso’s works that ever appeared in public was displayed here.-External links:*...
(Wuppertal, Germany) and Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
, Hartford (USA).