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List of murals by Luc Tuymans

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Luc Tuymans painting a fresco mural in 2017 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent.

List of Murals by Luc Tuymans is a list of mural paintings and other murals by the Belgian artist Luc Tuymans (born June 14, 1958). Tuymans is best known for his paintings which explore our relationship with history and confront our seeming ability to ignore it. World War II is a recurring theme in his work. He is a key figure of the generation of European figurative painters who gained renown at a time when many believed the medium had lost its relevance due to the new digital age. Much of Tuymans’ work deals with moral complexity, specifically the coexistence of ‘good’ and ‘evil’. His subjects range from major historical events such as the Holocaust to the seemingly inconsequential or banal: wallpaper, Christmas decorations or everyday objects for example.

Tuymans has made about fifty site-specific murals since the mid-1990s, five permanent and the rest temporarily created for exhibitions. The type of mural techniques used is either acrylic paint or fresco mural applied directly on the existing wall surfaces. On rare occasions, he also made fabric murals, which are based on drawings that are scanned and mechanically produced.

The listing is ordered by type of mural and then by year. Most of the references come from the comprehensive catalogue raisonné edited by German art historian Eva Meyer-Hermann and published by the David Zwirner Gallery and Yale University Press (20182019).[1][2][3]

Permanent mural paintings

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Image
(sort by size of the original)
Details
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Notes Date
(sort by earliest)
Café Alberto
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
This mural was destroyed when Café Alberto closed. It featured a larger version of the painting Superstition (1994).[2]: 425, 426 
1995
Ballroom of the former Ringtheater
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In 2007 Tuymans executed a permanent mural based on his painting Bloodstains (1993) on the ceiling of the ballroom of the former Ringtheater. This same year, the building was taken over by Troubleyn/Laboratorium, the performance company run by the Belgian playwright and artist Jan Fabre.[2]: 384–85 [4][5]
2007
Concertgebouw Brugge
Mural, acrylic on wall
Bruges, Belgium
In February 2012, Tuymans used the motif of his painting Angel (1992) for a permanent mural created in the second balcony foyer of the Concertgebouw Brugge.[6]: 425, 426 [3]: 396–397 
2012
Staatsschauspiel Dresden
Mural, acrylic on wall
Dresden, Germany
Tuymans gave the Staatsschauspiel Dresden two permanent murals created for the main staircases of the building on Theaterstrasse in 2013. These two murals are based on Tuymans' paintings Peaches (2012) and Technicolor (2012).[7][3]: 396–397 
2013

Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent
Fresco mural
Ghent, Belgium
Arena (2017) is the most recent permanent mural created for the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent. This work is a fresco mural that consists of three panels located at the end of a curved gallery in the museum’s hall.
2017

Temporary mural paintings

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Image
(sort by size of the original)
Details
(sort by location)
Notes Date
(sort by earliest)
Statiekwartier district in Antwerp near the Central Station
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In 1997, Tuymans made four temporary murals for the show Ons Geluk: Luc Tuymans, Danny Devos. The motifs were taken from two paintings and two drawings: Pillows (1997) and J. W. Gacy (1997), Traces (1997), and Missing Persons (1997). This show was staged in the Statiekwartier district in Antwerp near the Central Station. The exhibition space itself was inaccessible, so visitors experienced the installation through a window.[1]: 392 [2]: 104 : 427 
1997
Fundação de Serralves
Mural, acrylic on wall
Porto, Portugal
In 1998, Tuymans created three temporary murals based on the works Wandeling (Walk) (1989) and Rotlicht (Red Light) from the triptych Heillicht (Curing Light) (1991), and the painting The Flag (1995) which were incorporated in the exhibition Privacy: Luc Tuymans, Mirosław Bałka at the Fundação de Serralves in Porto in 1998.[1]: 178, 264 [2]: 429 
1998
Poëziezomer (Poetry Summer) Watou
Mural, acrylic on wall
Watou, Belgium
In the summer of 2001, Tuymans contributed two murals to the art and poetry exhibition Poëziezomer (Poetry Summer) in Watou. The first was a temporary mural based on The Heritage IV (1996) executed on floral wallpaper in a private house. The second involved the application of grey paint to the cobbled street and pavement in front of a row of houses, in shapes that mimicked the shadows of their gables.[2]: 438 
2001
Ruimte Morguen
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In 2002, Tuymans created four murals based on drawings including Antichambre (1985), Study for Leaf (1986), and Hotel Room (1987). These were created for the group exhibition Kamers which he curated for the twentieth anniversary of Ruimte Morguen in Antwerp.[2]: 440 
2002

Künstlerverein Malkasten in Düsseldorf
Mural, acrylic on wall
Düsseldorf, Germany
In 2002, Tuymans created four murals based on the paintings Gold (1999), Portrait (2000), and Eyes (2001), and the multipart drawing Missing Persons (1993). These were executed for his solo show Wandmalerei at the Künstlerverein Malkasten in Düsseldorf.
2002

FRAC Auvergne – Fonds régional d’art contemporain Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand
Mural, acrylic on wall
Clermont-Ferrand, France
In June 2003, for the exhibition Curtains, Reconstitution at FRAC Auvergne – Fonds régional d’art contemporain Auvergne in Clermont-Ferrand, Tuymans created five temporary murals which related to the paintings The Rumour (2001), Morning Sun (2003), Navy Seals (2003), Plant (2003), Easter (2006), and three temporary murals that were not based on existing artworks, entitled Eurodisney, Imam, and Supreme Court.[2]: 414 
2003
Witte de With in Rotterdam
Mural, acrylic on wall
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Tuymans’ contribution to the group show Monopolis at Witte de With in Rotterdam in 2005 consisted of the temporary mural Twins and the painting Ballroom Dancing (2005).[8][2]: 448 
2005
Artetage – Museum of Modern Art in Vladivostok
Mural, acrylic on wall
Vladivostok, Russia
In 2006, Tuymans contributed two temporary murals based on Dracula (2001) and Evidence (2005) to the group show Extremities: Flemish Art in Vladivostok at the Artetage – Museum of Modern Art in Vladivostok.[2]: 450 
2006
Mute
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In autumn of 2006, Tuymans co-curated the exhibition Mute in reaction to the political situation in Belgium prior to the 2006 elections. At that time the far-right populist political party Vlaams Belang (the successor to Vlaams Blok, a far-right secessionist political party dissolved in 2004 due to its xenophobic activities) looked set to gain the majority vote in Antwerp and Flanders. The exhibition venue was close to the location where, in May that year, eighteen-year-old Hans Van Themsche shot three people. Tuymans’ contribution to the show was a temporary mural in charcoal that recalled the motif of Heart (1987).
2006
Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst in Bremerhaven
Mural, acrylic on wall
Bremerhaven, Germany
In 2007, for his second exhibition Ende (The End) at Kabinett für aktuelle Kunst in Bremerhaven, Tuymans created a site-specific work in the form of an ‘expanded’ mural. Eva Meyer-Hermann described the way Tuymans first painted the floor, walls, and ceiling with grey paint and how on this base, which changed tone depending on the time of day, he then painted geometric shapes in a lighter colour, which corresponded to the changing pattern of light that filtered through the windows. According to her, in art-historical terms, the mural evokes ancient traditions of painting windows and 'played with the concept of an open image that is not fixed in form but subject to change over time'.[3]: 380–82 
2007
Antwerp (inner-city location)
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In spring 2008, the Belgian radio broadcaster Klara initiated an experiment which aimed to discover how many people would notice or recognize a work by an internationally renowned artist outside of a museum. For this experiment, Tuymans painted a temporary mural based on Exhibit #1 (2002) on the facade of a house in an unremarkable inner-city location in Antwerp. The mural could only be seen by the public for a few days, and over forty-eight hour period a hidden camera filmed passers-by. Only four percent of people filmed glanced at the artwork or stopped to look at it.
2008
Haus der Kunst in Munich
Mural, acrylic on wall
Munich, Germany
In 2008, the motif of Wonderland was used for a temporary mural created for the exhibition Wenn der Frühling kommt at the Haus der Kunst in Munich,[3]: 36  and Church inspired the mural executed for the exhibition Idź i patrz (Come and See) held at Zachęta – National Gallery of Art in Warsaw.[3]: 36 
2008
MCA Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago
Mural, acrylic on wall
Chicago, Illinois, United States
In 2010, the painting S. Croce (2005) and two works on paper, S. Croce 1 and S. Croce 2 (both 2010) formed the basis of the temporary mural created for Tuymans’ solo exhibition at MCA Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.[2]: 396 
2010
Meštrović Pavilion in Zagreb
Mural, acrylic on wall
Zagreb, Croatia
In April 2012, for the exhibition Luc Tuymans: Allo!, the prints Plates (2012) inspired the temporary mural he created at the Meštrović Pavilion, a cultural venue and the official seat of the Croatian Association of Artists (HDLU) in Zagreb. In October, Die Nacht was created as part of the site-specific installation project Luc Tuymans: Die Nacht, Ten, Otwock: Season Two in Otwock in Poland. After the opening of the exhibition Constable, Delacroix, Friedrich, Goya at Staatliche Kunstsammlungen. In October, Die Nacht was created as part of the site-specific installation project Luc Tuymans: Die Nacht, Ten, Otwock: Season Two in Otwock in Poland. After the opening of the exhibition Constable, Delacroix, Friedrich, Goya at Staatliche Kunstsammlungen.
2012
M HKA Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen
Mural, acrylic on wall
Antwerp, Belgium
In 2014, Tuymans executed two temporary murals, one drawn from Simulation (2007) for the exhibition El Hotel Eléctrico at the M HKA Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, and one based on Antichambre for the group exhibition De. Fi. Cien. Cy: Andrzej Wróbleswski, René Daniëls, Luc Tuymans at the Art Stations Foundation in Poznań.
2014
Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art
Mural, acrylic on wall
Moscow, Russia
The motif of The Worshipper (2004) was used for a temporary mural created for the 6th Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art in 2015.
2015
QM Gallery Al Riwaq in Doha
Mural, acrylic on wall
Moscow, Russia
For his solo exhibition Intolerance at QM Gallery Al Riwaq in Doha in 2015, Tuymans executed six temporary murals based on Navy Seals (2003), Egypt (2003), Oostende (2003), Demolition (2005), Nuclear Plant (2006), and Silence (1991). The latter was later used for an outdoor mural in Antwerp shown from July 2016 to July 2017.[3]: 406–407 [2]: 420 [1]: 260 
2015
Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno in Cuenca
Mural, acrylic on wall
Cuenca, Ecuador
In 2018, the motif of The Return formed the basis of a temporary mural created for the XIV Bienal de Cuenca, Museo Municipal de Arte Moderno in Cuenca, 2018–19 and Twenty Seventeen inspired a temporary mural created for the Jakarta Biennale.[3]: 360, 414, 415 
2018
Mausoleum of Emperor Ferdinand II nearby the Graz Cathedral
Fresco mural
Graz, Austria
For the exhibition Last und Inspiration/Burden and Inspiration in 2018, the curator Johannes Rauchenberger invited Tuymans to show his work at a location of his choice in Graz. Tuymans chose an empty room in the crypt of the city’s mausoleum as the site for his second fresco mural, an image of a genetically modified crop, entitled Gene. This fresco was based on the existing artwork Plant (2003).[3]


2018

Textile murals

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Image
(sort by size of the original)
Details
(sort by location)
Notes Date
(sort by earliest)
Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam
Textile mural
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
In 1998, Chris Dercon, the then director of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, invited Tuymans to participate in a project for the Rijksgebouwendienst (the Dutch Government Buildings Agency) with, among others, Jan Dibbets, Marlene Dumas, Ludger Gerdes, Giulio Paolini, and Jeff Wall. The artists were to design textile wall hangings for the courtrooms at the new Paleis van Justitie in ’s-Hertogenbosch. Their drawings were scanned and mechanically produced. The wall hangings were shown at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen before being permanently installed at the Charles Vandenhove–designed building in the summer of 1998. Tuymans developed concepts for two rooms. The first is a ground floor room which features hangings on three sides based on Recherches (1989) and Illegitimate IV (1997). The second room, on the upper floor, features hangings based on At Random (1994), and Cindy (1996), that cover two opposite walls.[1]: 282 [2]: 430 
1998
Town hall in Ridderkerk
Textile mural
Ridderkerk, the Netherlands
In 2004, Tuymans was invited to design textile wall hangings for the council chamber at the new town hall in the Dutch town of Ridderkerk. Similar to those he created in 1998 for the courtrooms at the Paleis van Justitie in ’s-Hertogenbosch, the monumental wall hangings in Ridderkerk cover three sides of the room. Their designs were inspired by motifs from drawings by the artist and by the silhouettes of the buildings in Ridderkerk.[2]: 225 
2004

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Meyer-Hermann, Eva (2018). Luc Tuymans: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, 1972–1994 (Volume 1). New York: David Zwirner Books; New Haven: Yale University Press.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Meyer-Hermann, Eva (2019). Luc Tuymans: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, 1995–2006 (Volume 2). New York: David Zwirner Books; New Haven: Yale University Press.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Meyer-Hermann, Eva (2019). Luc Tuymans: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, 2007–2018 (Volume 3). New York: David Zwirner Books; New Haven: Yale University Press.
  4. ^ Gerrit Vermeiren, ed., Luc Tuymans: I Don’t Get It, 125–27. Exh. cat. MuHKA Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst Antwerpen, Antwerp. Ghent: Ludion, 2007
  5. ^ Sigrid Bousset, Katrien Bruyneel, and Mark Geurden, ed., Troubleyn/Laboratorium: Jan Fabre. Brussels: Mercatorfonds, 2016.
  6. ^ Meyer-Hermann, Eva (2018). Luc Tuymans: Catalogue Raisonné of the Paintings, 1972–1994. New York: David Zwirner Books; New Haven: Yale University Press.
  7. ^ Lynne Cooke and Tommy Simoens, ed., Luc Tuymans: Intolerance, 30; ill. 31. Exh. cat. QM Gallery Al Riwaq, Qatar Museums, Doha. Antwerp: Ludion, 2015
  8. ^ Dieter Roelstraete, "The Weird Sisters". ArtReview, January 2006, 43–44.
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