HR Giger, Beksiński, Ruppert, Lynch
For the first time, the exhibition brings together the fantastic realism of Zdzisław Beksiński, the biomechanical style of HR Giger – who became famous for creating the ‘Alien’ monster – and the recently rediscovered erotic art of Sibylle Ruppert.
Image gallery
Sibylle Ruppert, Ma Soeur mon Epouse, Detail, 1975, Kohle auf Papier, Stiftung Sammlung Dieter Scharf zur Erinnerung an Otto Gerstenberg
Zdzisław Beksiński, AC75, Detail, 1975, Öl auf Hartfaserplatte
HR Giger, Necronom IV, Detail, 1976, Acryl auf Papier auf Holz
Drawing on motifs from Surrealism and accompanied by quotations from films by David Lynch, they paint a picture of a traumatised yet fascinating world of the uncanny.
The ‘Surreal Worlds’ of the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection explore the dark side of human nature.
The works of Hans Bellmer, Max Ernst, Alfred Kubin and Goya deal with what lies hidden behind the seemingly normal and universally visible. At times, these works teeter on the brink of horror. The exhibition ‘In the Shadow of Surrealism’ aims to explore even darker realms.
Drawing on the art of Surrealism and inspired by fantasy literature, Zdzisław Beksiński (1929–2005), Hansruedi Giger (1940–2014) and Sibylle Ruppert (1942–2011) create a universe of utter gloom in their paintings.
Imbued with the atmosphere of an oppressive nightmare, they recount the convoluted paths of traumatic experiences, whilst often evoking a remarkable sense of serenity and calm. With the Swiss-born Giger and the German-born Ruppert on the one hand, and the Polish-born Beksiński on the other, the exhibition also brings together two political systems whose nightmarish aspects enter into a dialogue. The themes and motifs of their works, as well as their highly elaborate painterly technique, reveal surprising similarities.
The American David Lynch (1946–2025) also draws on similar imagery in his dark, surrealist-inspired films. Quotations from *Blue Velvet* and *Twin Peaks* are intended to serve as signposts through the worlds of the irrational, the perverse and the deviant in the individual sections of the exhibition. At the same time, they emphasise the cinematic qualities of the works by Giger and Beksiński.
Between dystopia and reality
In light of the ubiquitous spread of social media, the image of humanity – with its roles and possibilities, its physicality and vulnerability, which have never disappeared from the art world’s field of vision – is once again taking centre stage in the public consciousness. In this context, the works of HR Giger, Ruppert and Beksiński are gaining relevance not only because of their dark aesthetic, but also because they describe, in a frighteningly accurate manner, our fears in the face of unstoppable technological progress.
In the age of neuro-interfaces, biohacking and the rapid development of AI, Giger’s vision can no longer be understood as mere science fiction. Beksiński’s visions of a dystopian world function in a similar way, with the difference that – much like Ruppert’s visualisations of pain – they continue to place their faith in human renewal. The exhibition invites visitors, in the shadow of Surrealism, to look the aestheticised nightmares of the present in the eye and to recognise within them the obscure and hidden realms of their own selves.
Curators
The exhibition is curated by Elena Voronovich, research assistant at the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection, and Kyllikki Zacharias, director of the Scharf-Gerstenberg Collection.
Exhibition catalogue
A catalogue accompanying the exhibition features texts by Diethelm Kaiser, Thomas Röske, Jörg Scheller, Marta Smolińska, Elena Voronovich, Angelika Wesenberg and Kyllikki Zacharias.
A special exhibition by the National Gallery of the State Museums in Berlin
Additional information
Opening hours
- Closed on Mondays
- Tue: Closed
- Wed 11:00 – 18:00
- Thu 11.00 – 18.00
- Fri 11:00 – 18:00
- Sat 11:00 – 18:00
- Sun 11:00 – 18:00
