Ruprecht von Kaufmann (b.1974, Munich, Germany) was educated at the Art Center College of Design, Los Angeles, CA. Von Kaufmann is one of the most important figurative painters in Germany today, as Dr. Brigitte Hausmann, curator for the Art Program of the City of Berlin writes in her essay. His forceful and emotional paintings are unsettling and purposefully so. Von Kaufmann puts great emphasis on storytelling, resulting in his figurative work being full of dark humour as well as dense melancholy. In his artworks he captures moments that are at once deeply personal while also hinting at a universal experience.
Solo exhibitions include (Upcoming) Leben zwischen den Stühlen, Buchheim Museum, Bernried, Germany (2025); (Upcoming) Herbst, Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany (2025); Der letzte Akt, Museum Kornwestheim, Kornwestheim, Germany (2025); Der Weiße Wal, Bluerider ART Shanghai, China (2024); Wasteland, Solo Show Sculptures, Museum der Stadt Bensheim, Bensheim, Germany (2024); Leben zwischen den Stühlen, Buchheim Museum, Bernried, Germany (2024); Return to Storyland, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Palm Beach, USA (2024); Hundert, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2023); Foreshadow, Bluerider ART, Shanghai, China (2023); In The Street, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2022); Monologue, Bluerider ART, Taipei, Taiwan (2022); Just Before Dawn, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2021); The Three Princes of Serendip, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2020); Inside the Outside, City Gallery Gutshaus Steglitz, Berlin, Germany (2020); Inside the Outside, UN-Headquarters, New York, USA / Museen Böttcherstrasse, Bremen, Germany (2019); Die drei Prinzen von Serendip, Kunstsammlung Neubranderburg, Neubranderburg, Germany (2019); Die Augen fest geschlossen, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2019); Die Evakuierung des Himmels, Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany (2018); Liederbuch, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart (2018); Event Horizon, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London (2017); The God of Small and Big Things, Galerie Crone, Berlin, Germany (2016); Phantombild-Blaupause, Nordheimer Scheune Nordheim, Germany (2016); Grösserbessserschnellermehr, Forum Kunst, Rottweil, Germany (2015); Fabel, Georg Kolbe Museum, Berlin, Germany (2014); Carna(va)l, Museum Abtei Liesborn, Wadersloh-Liesborn, Germany (2014).
Group exhibitions include Cutting the Puppeteer’s Strings, Philara Collection, Düsseldorf, Germany (2024-2025); Art Taipei 2024, Bluerider ART, Taipei, Taiwan (2024); Group show, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2024); The Armory Show, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York, USA (2024); Dissonance — Platform Germany #3, National Museum of Art of Romania, Bucharest, Romania (2024); HOME SWEET HOME, Kunstforum Ingelheim – Altes Rathaus, Ingelheim am Rhein, Germany (2024); Horsing Around, Galerie Lake, Oldenburg, Germany (2024); Dissonance — Platform Germany #2, Stadtgalerie Kiel, Germany (2024); Unexpected, Wasserwerk, Bad Schmiedeberg, Germany (2023); Medea, Ancient Market, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy (2023); Interaction Napoli, Fondazione Made in Cloister, Neapel, Italy (2022); Dissonance, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (2022); On the Wall, Building Gallery, Milan, Italy (2022); Das Eigene im Fremden, Museum Bensheim, Bensheim, Germany (2022, 2021); Flower, CHOI&CHOI, Seoul, Korea (2022); Flowers, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2022); Untitled Art Miami Beach, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, Miami, USA (2022); Dreamscapes, Cermak Eisenkraft Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic (2021); Dawn of the Living, Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg, Germany (2020), All the Days and Nights, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, London, UK (2020); Fernweh, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2020); Neue Wilde und Andere aus der Sammlung Stefan Neukirchen, Coesfeld, Germany (2020); Feelings, Pinakothek der Moderne, München, Germany (2019); Metafysica, Haugar Vestfold Art Museum, Tønsberg, Norway (2019); Birkholms Echo, Faaborg Museum of Art, Faaborg, Germany (2019); New Frontiers of Painting, Fondazione Stelline, Milan, Italy (2018); Contemporary Chaos, Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium, Vestfossen, Norway (2018); Schwarze Romantik, Topicuv Salón, Prag, Czech Republic / Künstlerhaus Palais Thurn und Taxis, Bregenz, Austria / Galerie der Stadt Backnang, Backnang, Germany (2018); Eros & Thanatos, Museum Abtei Liesborn, Wadersloh-Liesborn, Germany (2018); Ecce Creatura, Kallmann Museum, Ismaning, Germany (2017); Paintinguide NYC, Booth Gallery, New York, USA (2017); Neue Schwarze Romantik, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany / Stadtgalerie Kiel, Germany / Galerie im Traklhaus, Salzburg, Austria / Rumänisches Nationalmuseum der Künste, Bukarest, Romania (2017); Code Art Fair, Andrea Francolino, New York, USA (2017); Volta 13 Basel, Kristin Hjellegjerde, Markthalle, Switzerland (2017); Wahlverwandschaften, National Museum of Latvia, Riga, Latvia (2016); Prozac, Kunstverein Glückstadt, Glückstadt, Germany (2016); Du sollst Dir Kein Bild machen, Berliner Dom, Berlin, Germany (2015); The Vacancy, Friedrichstrasse, Berlin Germany (2015); Kunst Wollen?, openAEG, Nürnberg, Germany (2015); Time Lies, Kino International, Berlin, Germany (2015); The Sea, Brandts Museum, Odense, Denmark (2014); Revolution, Rohkunstbau, Roskow, Germany (2014); Waffensichten, Museum Galerie Dachau, Dachau, Germany (2014); Malerei am Rand der Wirklichkeit, Haus am Lützwoplatz, Berlin, Germany (2014); Tierstücke, Museum Abtei Liesborn, Waderslih-Liesborn, Germany (2013); Alles Wasser, Galerie Mikael Anderson, Copenhagen, Denmark (2013); Weltenschöpfer, Museum für Bildende Kunst, Leipzig, Germany (2013); Convoy Berlin, Bzarsky Gallery, Budapest, Hungary (2012); I am a Berliner, Tel Aviv Museum, Israel (2011).
Highlights and collections
Ruprecht von Kaufmann’s work can be found in international, private and public collections, including the Sammlung Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, (currently on display in the Otto Dix Room); Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany; AmC Collezione Coppola, Venice, Italy; Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany; Collection of the German Bundestag; Collection of the National Bank of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frankfurt, Germany; Colección Solo, Madrid, Spain; Collection Ole Faarup, Copenhagen, Denmark; Collection Holger Friedrich, Berlin, Germany; Collection Museum Abtei Liesborn, Liesborn, Portugal; Collection Veronika Smetackova, Prague, Czech Republic; Hort Family Collection, New York, US; Philara Collection, Düsseldorf, Germany; Uziyel Collection, London, UK.