Wintersberger’s works are often mystical and evocative. They challenge viewers, tempting them to engage and take a stand, multifaceted as they are stylistically diverse. Always idiosyncratic and exceedingly authentic.

Born in Munich in 1941, Wintersberger, along with Markus Lüpertz and others, founded the producer gallery Großgörschen 35 in Berlin in the 1960s. He critically examined our society, its consumerism and its artistic movement of Pop Art. He operated in the superficial world of appearances, not by fitting into it but via resistance. He shoved a mirror in its face to lay bare all its imperfections. This was the inception of “Injury”, which brought him international recognition. Wires, clamps, or razor blades mutilate limbs, but with clear, Pop Art-like contours, harmonious color gradients, and sterile aesthetic–creating distance from the human while still getting under your skin.

His reputation as a German pop artist did not prevent him from switching styles and thematic focus. The former became more naturalistic in the 1970s, but never depicted objective reality. A strong subjective emphasis reigned with expressive tendencies, bringing his own unfiltered perception and inner attitude onto the canvas.

These recurrent shifts are actually a testimony to the fact that Lambert Maria Wintersberger always remained true to himself, encountering different subject matter over life’s course as we all do. In his case, they span from the monumental mountain Matterhorn and the examination of miniscule mushroom constellations, to sports and consumer products, and on to mythology. The criticism of social ideals runs through his entire body of work, as does his stubborn style. Wintersberger never allowed himself to be guided by shallow motifs; he dealt with his content in depth, and thus his versatile output is convincing in its honest integrity.

A constant theme is the idealized human being reflected in numerous portraits and self-portraits. These traverse over every creative period and painting style. Sometimes with clarity and clean silhouettes while others maintain a strongly gestural character with thick brushstrokes. Those portrayed are equally complex – alienations, such as distorted faces or displaced facial features, grotesque, mystical, or with invented accessories. The backgrounds are often neutral, leaving no hints to the viewer of the place or time; attention is entirely on the subject. The portraits are never purely depictive nor pleasing and thus set a counterweight to classical portraiture and the modern ideal of beauty, those demands of perfection that can never be fully realized.

The portraits shown here range from the 1970s to the 2010s and are complemented by other works from Wintersberger’s oeuvre.

Rusty nails, gnarled wires, and weathered wood. A decrepit tin, paint-smeared brushes, rooms in a state of decay falling into the depths, and impenetrable walls that appear to crumble… 

Ymer Shaqiri’s works are testimonial to his life. Breaks and vague uncertainties mark his path over and over again.

Born in Kosovo under extremely poor conditions, Ymer Shaqiri still managed to graduate from the Academies of Arts in Pristina as well as in Belgrade and finished his studies as a graphic artist. However, his artistic pursuit became increasingly difficult due to the political situation in Kosovo at the time. In 1996 he came to Germany to start anew and carved out his place through numerous exhibitions. He gained notoriety and was represented at various biennials, garnering awards and international recognition.

In 2021, Shaqiri died unexpectedly while working near Pristina. This year, the artist is being honored by his home country with a stamp series showcasing his works. Villa Haiss is also paying tribute to Shaqiri with an extensive retrospective. With gallery owner Walter Bischoff, they were not only connected by a working relationship but also by a long-standing friendship.

Ymer Shaqiri was sensitive, delicate and extremely disciplined and this is reflected in his works, primarily small-scaled, but expressive. The exhibition “Perspectives of the Everyday” gathers works from all corners and thematic spaces of his œuvre.

His paintings are charged with tension, combining the technique of in and pen design with colorful brushed elements. The hues and shadows create such plastic impressions that one is summoned to reach out and grab the brush from the paint-stained writing paper or pull the rusty nail from its cracked wood. In his abstract works, elements keep shifting forward or backward. Shaqiri arranges lines and planes to create a balanced field of tension.

A special feature in this exhibition are the flowering branches that seem to blossom from delicate dabs of color, as well as a study of the chili pepper, which was painted from every perspective and shines out toward the viewer from every which direction.

Opening 02 Sep 2022, 7:30 pm

Abstract paintings traverse across style and movement–from tense and wild to transcendent color field and into heady monochrome works. Detailed city views vacillate to masterful portraits and raw sculpture opposes filigree works on paper. Here the established artists and those less familiar to the art world are equally considered.

The permanent exhibition is a mélange of international art created after 1945. The focus of the exhibition, comprising more than 80 works, is on abstract painting and above all European post-war art and Informel. Among them are outstanding works by K.O. Götz, A.R. Penck, Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Jean Miotte. Further highlights of the exhibition are the often figurative, Eastern European and East Asian works, contemporary pieces by renowned photographers and an area for sculptures.

The special feature of the permanent exhibition lies both in its global orientation and in bringing together distinct artistic approaches, giving visitors access to a range of historical and geographical contexts.

Opening: 02 Sep 2022, 7:00 p.m.

Sculptures and surrounding park landscapes lend visitors the opportunity to engage with art in the open air. The Obere Fabrik offers the works an apt presentation space between a round kiln where ceramics were once fired and Villa Haiss.

The newly created art trail along the historic wall showcases works by contemporary artists, including Jörg Bach, Michael Danner, Bruno Feger, Reinhard Klessinger and Reinhard Sigle. The exhibition, organized by the Förderverein Zeller Kunstwege e.V., is a new addition to the Zeller Art Trail, in which sculptures are placed around Zell am Harmersbach.

This Kunstweg is accompanied by the sculpture park opposite Villa Haiss, where an original part of the Berlin Wall can be seen. The five consecutive segments originally from Berlin Treptow were acquired in 1999 and placed at Villa Haiss as a memorial on the 10th anniversary of the fall of the Wall.