Werner von Mutzenbecher
Things
guest gallery: Galerie Mueller
Basel, Switzerland
Apr 12 – May 17, 2025
Constellations 2025
gallery-share initiative
April 12 – 13
12 – 6 pm
At the invitation of Gunia Nowik Gallery, Galerie Mueller presents a selection of works by Werner von Mutzenbecher in Warsaw, introducing them to a broader audience in Poland for the first time. The exhibition includes Untitled (Novalis painting), an iconic piece from 1981—the same year von Mutzenbecher had his first solo show at Kunsthalle Basel. In the exhibition catalogue, he posed for a portrait in front of the painting, placing his own body in relation to its monumental scale. This work exemplifies his deep engagement with poetry and his meticulous process of translating real-life models—whether letters, geometric forms, or imagery from Old Master paintings—into his own painterly language. Alongside this work, the exhibition presents five geometric paintings from the early 1980s. These paintings, characterized by stark contrasts, precise yet enigmatic spatial constructions, and a restrained palette, exemplify von Mutzenbecher’s exploration of form and perception.
Through his geometric abstractions, he creates ambiguous spaces that blur the boundary between representation and structure, inviting viewers into a realm of poetic contemplation. This interest in spatial relationships extends to von Mutzenbecher’s work in film, particularly Dinge (Things), 1968. This early black-and-white film follows a journey from a city’s outskirts into the interior of an apartment, where the artist himself briefly appears before the film’s conclusion. The work serves as a kind of self-portrait of an avant-garde filmmaker, reflecting his enduring fascination with movement through space.
Throughout his career, Werner von Mutzenbecher has remained attuned to the artistic and cultural shifts of his time, continuously evolving and refining his practice. His active engagement with Kunsthalle Basel and both the local and national art scenes has kept him closely connected to contemporary Swiss and international artistic tendencies.
The exhibition is part of Constellations, a gallery-sharing initiative through which we have the pleasure of hosting Catinca Tabacaru Gallery (Bucharest, Romania) and Galerie Mueller (Basel, Switzerland) at Gunia Nowik Gallery.
Born in 1937, Frankfurt, Germany. Werner von Mutzenbecher had his first solo exhibition in 1966 at Kunstmuseum Lucerne, curated by Peter F. Althaus, who later became a curator at Kunsthalle Basel. Over the years, he developed a strong connection to his hometown of Basel, the local art school, and especially Kunsthalle Basel, where he collaborated with and was exhibited by curators such as Althaus, Jean-Christophe Ammann, Peter Pakesch, and Adam Szymczyk. Since then, von Mutzenbecher has remained active across various artistic media, including drawing, painting, printmaking, photography, film, and writing. He lives and works in Basel, Switzerland.
