Artist Christoph Ruckhäberle to paint in Schick Art Gallery

German artist Christoph Ruckhäberle, recipient of the Schick Art Gallery 2007 Artist Residency Competition, will use the gallery space as a working studio to complete a series of paintings from March 19 through April 22. Students and the public may view his process and interact with the artist at limited times, from 10 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays or 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

The gallery will be closed to visitors Friday, Saturday and Sunday through April 17. An artist's lecture will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 22, in the Payne Room of the Tang Teaching Museum.

A figurative painter represented by Zach Feuer Gallery in New York since 2004, Ruckhäberle has gained much attention in recent years, including being featured in the Saatchi Gallery. He has exhibited in Austria, Copenhagen, London, Paris, Korea, and Prague.

A master of composition, Ruckhäberle sees his paintings as rooms that set the stage for dancing, standing, and sitting figures dressed in simple clothes, who perform a variety of acts, often with blank stares or somber expressions. These characters, in classical poses, contrast with relaxed rooms that act as theatrical backdrops where play is carried out with grim faces and animated gestures. Stages with no directors, his paintings become places where boredom and possibility coexist.

An opening reception for an exhibition of Christoph Ruckhäberle's work is scheduled from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 17, in Schick Art Gallery, and the exhibition of will remain on display April 17–22, during which time we will revert to regular gallery hours, weekdays 9 a.m.–5 p.m., weekends 1–4:30 p.m.. The lecture, reception and exhibition are free and open to the public.