Black & White. From Dürer to Eliasson

By concentrating on black and white they encourage the viewer to take a fresh perspective on existing patterns of perception and artistic modes of presentation. Comprising around 80 works spanning a period of 700 years – painting, glass painting, photography, prints and drawings – the exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of the special fascination exerted by black-and-white art. Ranging from medieval grisaille works to Olafur Eliasson’s light installation “Room for One Colour”, the exhibition explores the question of the visual power of the reduced colour palette.

Among the show’s highlights are the black-and-white version of the famous female nude “Grande Odalisque” by Ingres, as well as the only known grisaille painting by Degas, “Ballet Rehearsal on Stage”. Further high-calibre loans include works by Andrea Mantegna, Peter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Bridget Riley and Gerhard Richter as well as by ZERO artists such as Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker. A particular highlight is the walk-in room installation “The Collector’s House” by the Belgian artist Hans Op de Beeck.

The exhibition was organised by the National Gallery, London, in collaboration with Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf.