In the summer of 1984, RealismusStudio devoted its 28th exhibition to the Duisburg artist Ernst Baumeister. This small catalogue presents his neo-expressionist painting that combines regional self-assurance, socio-critical statements on the Ruhr Valley, and other seemingly unrelated content. As the foreword puts it, “the uncompromising directness of his nightmarish orgiastic scenes, tending toward the grotesque, may still pose a challenge to some viewers today.” Baumeister was always a socially engaged artist; in the early 1970s, he painted murals in the style of political realism; during his period of compulsory community service in lieu of military service, he drew homeless people and their milieu. With texts by Barbara Straka and Friedhelm Schrooten.

Ed.: nGbK

Work group: Ulrich Giersch, Freya Mülhaupt, Udo Ropohl, Barbara Straka, Ingrid Wagner-Kantuser

With contributions by: Barbara Straka, Friedhelm Schrooten