Alfred Ehrhardt Stiftung
This exhibition of paintings, drawings and prints is pulled from Ehrhardt’s artistic output during a winter semester spent in Dessau 1928-29 with Bauhaus masters Josef Albers and Oskar Schlemmer. Ehrhardt is famous for his photographic and film work, but this show solely highlights his rare painting and graphic designs. Spaciously hung, the mainly abstract pieces are filigree and emblematic – a celebration of materiality. Most of the paintings appear as objects with a carved and rugged surface: Ehrhardt used spatulas or the impasto technique, applying thick layers of paint on Japanese paper or masonite wood. Some very simplified single-line drawings reveal a female figure or a head, but it’s in the abstract works that the Bauhaus influence is most visible, with geometric elements reminiscent of Paul Klee and strong colour contrasts that conjure Wassily Kandinsky or El Lissitzky. It’s captivating to see Ehrhardt’s work outside of photography – these paintings, drawings, and graphic work are usually inaccessible to the public, so don’t miss the chance to see this small and precious selection.
Through Apr 18
