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) Solo Show, Museum Kornwestheim, Kornwestheim, Germany (2025); (Upcoming) Solo Show, Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany (2025); (Upcoming) Ruprecht von Kaufmann, CHOI&CHOI, Seoul, South Korea (2025); Blue Rider Gallery, 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 (2019); Inside the Outside, 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 The Armory Show, Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, New York, USA (2024); Dissonance, Stadtgalerie Kiel, Germany (2024); Dissonance, 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); Medea, Ancient Market, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy (2023); Unexpected, Wasserwerk, Bad Schmiedeberg, Germany (2023); Interaction Napoli, Fondazione Made in Cloister, Neapel, Italy (2022); Dissonance, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany (2022); On the Wall, Building Gallery, Mailand, Italy (2022); Das Eigene im Fremden – Einblicke in die Sammlung Detlev Blenk, Museum, Bensheim, Bensheim, Germany (2022); Flower, CHOI&CHOI, Seoul, Korea (2022); Flowers, Galerie Thomas Fuchs, Stuttgart, Germany (2022); Untitled Art Miami Beach, Miami, USA (2022); Dreamscapes, Cermak Eisenkraft Galerie, Prague, Czech Republic (2021); Das Eigene im Fremden – Einblicke in die Sammlung Detlev Blenk, Museum Bensheim, Germany (2021); 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, Mailand, 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); Paintngguide NYC, Booth Gallery, New York, USA (2017); Schwarze Romantik, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, Stadtgalerie Kiel, Kiel, Germany (2017); Galerie im Traklhaus, Salzburg, Austria, Rumänisches Nationalmuseum der Künste, Bukarest, Romania (2017); Code Art Fair, with Andrea Francolino, New York, USA (2017); Volta 13 Basel, with Kristin Hjellegjerde, Markthalle, Switzerland (2017); Wahlverwandschaften, German Art since the late 1960s´, 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, 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, DE (currently on display in the Otto Dix Room), AmC Collezione Coppola, Vicenza, 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; Coleccion Solo, Madrid; Collection Ole Faarup, Copenhagen, DK; Collection Holger Friedrich, Berlin; Collection Museum Abtei Liesborn, Liesborn; Collection Veronika Smetackova, Prague; Hort Family Collection, New York; Philara Collection, Düsseldorf; Uzyiel Collection, London.