Klaus Rinke GER, b. 1939

Klaus Rinke (born 1939) is widely recognized as a co-founder of the Düsseldorf School, alongside luminaries like Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, Blinky Palermo, and Günther Uecker. His artistic journey has been enriched by collaborations with prominent figures such as Joseph Beuys and Bernd and Hilla Becher, whose influence is deeply embedded in his work.

Since the 1960s, Rinke has been a dynamic force on the international art scene, aligning himself with radical artistic movements like Body Art, Land Art, and Conceptual Art, while never confining himself to the boundaries of a single genre. A versatile artist, Rinke's creative practice extends beyond the realms of drawing and painting, encompassing a rich body of sculptural and photographic works. Particularly noteworthy are his performances initiated in the 1960s, where the artist himself took center stage, emphasizing the relationship between the human body, time, and space. These performances often incorporated diverse elements like water, nature, or scientific measuring materials like lead, to explore concepts of balance and instability.

Klaus Rinke exhibited in two Documenta exhibitions in Kassel and two Venice Biennales. His solo exhibitions have graced the walls of some of the world's most prestigious museums, including the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Modern in London, the CCCOD in Tours, the Museum Küppersmühle in Duisburg, and the Haubrok Foundation in Berlin.

Rinke's artworks are housed in numerous public and private collections, and he has been bestowed with accolades for his contributions to contemporary art. These honors include recognition from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Deutsche Bank in Düsseldorf, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, the R.M.I.T. Gallery in Melbourne, the F.R.A.C. Champagne Ardennes in Reims, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the National Gallery in Canberra, the Modern Museum in Vienna, the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, the MoMA in New York, the Tate Modern Museum in London, the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, and many more.

Currently, Klaus Rinke lives and works in Linz, Austria, and Los Angeles, USA.