Tomas Rajlich Fifty years of Painting

In continuation of its past programme, the ABC-ARTE Gallery pursues its in-depth exploration of the work of the protagonists of the international neo-avant-gardes. This book documents its retrospective of Tomas Rajlich, a milestone in the international recognition of analytical painting and co-founder of Klub Konkretistů.

The works on show range over a period of fifty years to enable the formation of a comprehensive picture of the work of Rajlich. He went into exile in 1969 after the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and moved to the Netherlands, where he was able to become acquainted with the theories of the Dutch neo-avant-garde group Nul. That group, with such prominent figures as Manzoni, Klein and Sol LeWitt, was intimately involved in the debate that dominated the most important cultural and artistic movements of the time in Europe.

Right from the early 1970s (he participated with Brice Marden, Robert Ryman, Gerhard Richter and others in the memorable exhibition “Fundamentele schilderkunst : Fundamental painting” in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam) he was regarded as one of the leading representatives of Fundamental Painting. His works, solidly anchored in the quest for the roots of painting, are notable for a materiality that becomes a symbol and metaphor of physical substance and a highly controlled language of gesture. Rajlich consolidated his fame in this period with several important exhibitions in Holland and Paris, where he has successfully shown his work on more than one occasion.

In the two successive decades and ever since, the work of Tomas Rajlich has bolstered his international reputation to make him one of the leading figures of the most influential avant-gardes. The artist is involved with exhibitions in the principal international institutions that hold works of his in their collections.