Thomas Lange

Berlin painter Thomas Lange’s style bears traces of the German tradition in its expressionist and lyrical approach, a feature that became even stronger after his period around the Neue Wilde, a generation of mostly German painters that rediscovered a wild lyricism in the early eighties.

In 1984, Thomas Lange participated in the big shows “Von Hier Aus” in Düsseldorf and “The Metropole Rediscovered” at the Brussels Palais des Beaux-Arts. In the same year, the story of the collaboration between Deweer Art Gallery and Thomas Lange starts with the artist being a guest at the gallery for his first one-man show “Tätowiert” (Tattooed). From then on, Thomas Lange would be present at most major group shows of the gallery: “Ouverture” (1985), “Neue Deutsche Skulptur” (1986), “Berlin 750” and “The Wall in Perspective / Berliner Art from the 80s” (1987), “Xth Anniversary Show” (1989), “A Painting Show” (1994) and “Eclips / 25th Anniversary Show” (2004).

In 1986 Thomas Lange made a second show for Deweer Art Gallery, now with his friend, the Berlin sculptor Frank Dornseif. Two years later, these same artists collaborated on another joint show entitled “Schatten der Liebe”(Shadows of Love), for the Kunstverein in Hanover and the Museum of Modern Art in Ostend. In the mean-time, in 1987, the gallery had produced a limited edition of Thomas Lange’s splendid rug “Prometheus”.

In 1990 Thomas Lange presented his second one-man show at the gallery. In the drawings and wide paintings on paper and canvas from the ensemble “Landschaften” (Landscapes), the artist shared the impressions he had brought back with him from his recent stay in the region of Kashmiri and the Himalayas.

The third one-man show (in 1996) was entitled “Das Ewige Jetzt 1426-1996” (The Eternal Now 1426-1996) and dealt with a combination of Italian frescoes from the Brancacci chapel in Florence and silhouetted portraits of Thomas’s friend Mutsuo Hirano. (Thomas Lange has been living in Italy most part of the time since those years).

Two years later, in 1998, we presented “Werkstatt Europa (Belgien)”(Studio Europe - Belgium). It was Thomas Lange’s vision on some of our Belgian monuments and cityscapes. In the same year, Thomas was invited to show his exhibition “Die Vertreibung aus dem Paradies”(The Expulsion from the Paradise) in the Museum of Modern Art in Ostend. In 2000, there was the extensive show “Wie het verleden niet vergeet, kijkt in de toekomst”(Who does not forget the past, looks into the future) at the Elzenveld Centre in Antwerp.
In 2003 the gallery hosted the survey show “Thomas Lange 1983-2003”, thus celebrating 20 years of intense collaboration between artist and gallery.

And finally, in 2007, Thomas Lange was presented in a joint show with Belgian sculptor Johan Tahon. The input of Thomas Lange in this duo-show was based on his series of works about Caravaggio. In this striking series of oilpaintings and works on paper, Lange explores and experiences the work of Caravaggio in an intense and empathizing way. The series had already been shown in the Palazzo di Venezia in Rome, the Palazzo Vescovile in Acquapendente, Italy and the Museum am Dom in Würzburg, Germany.