Past Exhibition —
2017
Hyperrealism: 50 Years of Painting
Kunsthal Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
25 February — 5 June, 2017
On Saturday 25 February, the Kunsthal Rotterdam is opening the exhibition ‘Hyperrealisme – 50 Years of Painting’, a unique overview of photorealistic painting. Three generations of American and European artists illustrate the history of this fascinating, figurative art movement. With this retrospective, which includes 70 works by more than 30 artists, the Kunsthal is bringing an unparalleled collection of hyperrealistic masterpieces to the Netherlands.
The work of these artists, including Chuck Close, Robert Bechtle, Richard Estes, John Salt and Franz Gertsch is painted in such minute detail and with such precision that they resemble photographs. The result, however, is more than a virtuoso copy of the subject, and the paintings create their own reality. The exhibition at the Kunsthal presents, for the first time ever, the full scope of this genre and includes all the great names associated with it, not forgetting the latest generation of artists, such as the Dutch painter Tjalf Sparnaay.