Richard Oelze & Dirk Bell
Bilder
08.07. – 20.08.2006

Exhibition featuring works by Richard Oelze and Dirk Bell at the Kunsthalle Bremerhaven.

The Kunstverein has a long tradition of exhibiting Richard Oelze’s work. As early as 1951, works by Richard Oelze were shown at the Kunstverein in Bremerhaven as part of a group exhibition that also featured works by Albert Schiestel-Arding, among others. The Kunstverein acquired two works during the artist’s lifetime. A third was added in the early 1980s. At the turn of the year 2000/2001, the association made its works available on loan for the Oelze exhibition at the Kunsthalle Bremen and the Museum für bildende Künste in Leipzig.

This year, the art association is planning its own Oelze exhibition to raise awareness of the artist, whose work still receives little attention, in our city and region. The exhibition derives its special appeal from a comparison with works by the young artist Dirk Bell (born 1969). In Dirk Bell’s artworks, surrealism takes on a contemporary form. Richard Oelze once said of his work’s role as a model for subsequent artists: “I am not a ‘guide’. I believe that there are no universally teachable paths. There will always be a multitude of styles existing side by side. I am a surrealist. I am continuing a long tradition. But I believe in progress.” The quote is from 1968, a year before Dirk Bell was born. His works will be on display in the graphic arts cabinet of the Kunsthalle.

Curated by Jürgen Wesseler.