Rudolf Scharpf and Ernst Gassenmeier

18 August – 17 October 2018

In 1977, the Ludwigshafen artist Rudolf Scharpf (1919–2014) donated a house in the tradition-rich Hemshof district to his native city under the condition that it be used as an exhibition space for young artists. Rudolf-Scharpf-Galerie has remained the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum’s display window for new art to the present day, serving as a project and exhibition space for current artistic tendencies.
Rudolf Scharpf is primarily known for his exploration of the expressive possibilities of the woodcut, but his oeuvre also encompasses prints reworked in colour, drawings, monotypes and painting. The artist already donated large parts of his oeuvre to Ludwigshafen during his lifetime and he bequeathed a further group of works to the city in his will. His artistic legacy is examined in regular temporary exhibitions taking place in the Rudolf-Scharpf-Galerie.
This year’s exhibition juxtaposes selected works by Scharpf with series of works by Ernst Gassenmeier (1913–1952), who belonged to the early artistic circle around Rudolf Scharpf in the years after the Second World War.

Curator: René Zechlin