German artist Charline von Heyl, one of the most significant painters of our time, believes that painting must transcend conventional boundaries to remain relevant in today's world. The artist, who lives between New York and Marfa, Texas, is known for her abstract works that fearlessly navigate between seductive surfaces, precisely deployed colors, and recurring figuration within abstraction.
Von Heyl's paintings stand out for their bold stylistic diversity, representing a permanent search for the essence of painting that is equally informed by art history and what she calls the anachronism of painting itself. Her works, typically created in identical formats, demonstrate an uncompromising approach to the medium that has earned her international recognition.
Born in Mainz in 1960, von Heyl moved to Hamburg in the 1980s where she studied under Jörg Immendorff, then to Cologne, and finally to New York where she achieved her international breakthrough. Since then, she has been the subject of major institutional exhibitions in Europe, including shows at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg in 2018 and at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022.
Currently, Xavier Hufkens Gallery in Brussels is presenting a major solo exhibition of her new works through October 25, featuring 34 paintings created in both her Brooklyn and Marfa studios. Speaking about the exhibition, von Heyl expressed excitement about seeing the works hanging together for the first time, describing it as surprising and thrilling even for herself.
When asked about her national identity as an artist, having moved from Germany to New York in 1994, von Heyl firmly stated, 'Neither, actually. I'm simply a painter. Of course, one's roots and place of residence play a role, but the world, particularly the art world, is no longer locally determined.' This perspective reflects her belief that painting transcends geographical boundaries and cultural limitations.
Reflecting on her early career in Cologne and Hamburg, where she was part of a group of like-minded artists including Martin Kippenberger, Albert Oehlen, and critic Diedrich Diederichsen, von Heyl described it as 'an exciting time with so many brilliant minds and fresh art.' She lived with Mayo Thompson during this period and considers herself fortunate to have begun her career in such stimulating company, though she acknowledges that era is now long past.
Von Heyl positions herself as a painter of the present rather than the 21st century, viewing painting as inherently anachronistic. 'I consider painting anachronistic, and that's part of its power,' she explained. 'Of course I'm aware of what's happening now, good and bad, and yes, we live in the 21st century. But for me, painting must go beyond that to be relevant. As a painter, I therefore don't live in the 21st century, but in the present.'
Regarding the personal nature of art, von Heyl agrees with filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's assertion that art must be fundamentally personal to touch its audience. 'He's absolutely right. Moreover, painting cannot function any other way,' she said. 'For a painting to emerge with power, it must be as mysterious as I am to myself. Sometimes it feels as if the picture I'm working on develops parallel to my intentions, in a revealing way.'
Contrary to what might be expected, von Heyl has never consciously worked to develop a personal style, nor has she ever been interested in doing so. 'Style is always conventional, ultimately predictable and often an end in itself,' she argued. 'As painters, we want to penetrate into an area where something fresh and new happens. However, over the years I have developed a specific visual language with an extensive vocabulary.'
Von Heyl began painting during a time when there was significant debate about whether painting had a future, but she notes with satisfaction that this debate is now over. Regarding the current turbulent times in the art market, she maintains a philosophical distance: 'The art market, especially the auction theater, has always been a rather moody chimera that allows itself to be manipulated by greed or fear. I can only observe that from the outside; it has no influence whatsoever on my work in the studio.'
When discussing the fundamental materials of painting—canvas, paint, brushes—von Heyl finds questions about painting's future less interesting than embracing its anachronistic nature. She recently visited Bruges and stood before a portrait by Jan van Eyck that looked as fresh as if it had just been painted. 'A chair from the same period looks like a chair from the 14th century. But van Eyck's painting, with its psychology, intensity and mastery, stands before me as if it had just been created. Painting can transcend time. That's incredibly powerful. That's why I like to call paintings machines. They can have this direct power.'
Painting's independence from language particularly appeals to von Heyl, who grew up with a French mother and experienced a break between different identity concepts. 'Paintings never need to be translated, and that makes them so powerful,' she explained. 'For me, painting means asking very concretely: How do I think without language? Can painting somehow represent that?'
Her creative process is distinctly non-premeditated. When standing before a white canvas, she never envisions an image she wants to paint. Instead, she must actively approach the canvas and begin painting with a brush or charcoal. 'Only then does an image emerge. While I paint, I evaluate what I'm doing. Consequently, much of what I create while painting is subsequently removed, painted over, or changed. At its core, painting, like everything else, is primarily an act of editing.'
Von Heyl strongly prefers solitude in her studio, rarely allowing others to observe her painting process. She no longer visits her painter friends' studios, noting that while such visits were important when they were younger, now they all know what they're doing. It's sufficient to see each other's finished works and feel proud and happy for one another.
Interestingly, despite being married to fellow painter Christopher Wool, they maintain strict boundaries around their studio practices. In New York, they never visit each other's studios and rarely attend each other's openings. However, in Marfa, where their studios are adjacent, they do look at each other's work, offering what von Heyl describes as 'respectful thumbs up or thumbs down'—comments they acknowledge but that have no consequences for their work.
Regarding her approach to materials and techniques, von Heyl embraces whatever means are necessary to achieve the desired image. She doesn't require many different tools but is fascinated by contemporary paints with special properties that react differently to light. In her new painting 'Zeno,' for example, the image transforms from green to orange from left to right due to the technical properties of the paint. She muses that William Turner would have been beside himself with joy to experiment with interference colors, which have only been available for about three decades.
The current exhibition at Xavier Hufkens Gallery represents a comprehensive survey of von Heyl's recent work, showcasing her continued exploration of painting's possibilities while maintaining her philosophical approach to the medium as both anachronistic and timelessly relevant.
