Reiner Ruthenbeck (1937 - 2016)

Reiner Ruthenbeck

Reiner Ruthenbeck is a German conceptual artist, sculptor and photographer.

Ruthenbeck studied at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts, worked as a guest lecturer at the University of Fine Arts, and as a professor at the Münster Academy of Art. Ruthenbeck commands geometric forms, he is a master of transforming space with unconventional materials such as crumpled paper or pieces of fabric.

In his work, Ruthenbeck subverts the familiar, using minimalist objects and simple everyday materials to explore architecture, perception, and in later works, sound. The artist's work includes sculptures, objects, and conceptual pieces. Between 1968 and 1972, he created several piles and cones out of ash, slag and paper. Later, he presented utilitarian objects such as chairs, tables and suitcases, stripping them of their functionality and thus flaunting their pure forms.