Albert Mertz

It was a great pleasure to open the extensive exhibition SEE SEE featuring Albert Mertz.

The exhibition was curated by Sam Jedig, who, through Stalke Galleri over the past 30 years, had arranged six major solo exhibitions with Mertz, as well as numerous group exhibitions.

Albert Mertz passed away in 1990, and this year marked the celebration of his 100th anniversary.

Sorø Kunstmuseum had just opened the special exhibition ALT DETTE ER DERES(ALL THIS IS THEIRS), which was subsequently moved to Holstebro Kunstmuseum.

Albert Mertz was one of Denmark’s most significant artists, working across a wide range of artistic expressions, methods, and media. As he often articulated himself, “the difference is the same.” His work was not concerned with a specific style or form, but with the most precise communication of content and meaning. Mertz experimented through his art and repeatedly posed the fundamental question: What is art?

Stalke Galleri presented a significant selection of works from the 1950s onwards until Mertz’s death, showcasing expressions such as collage, assemblage, pop art, and a broad spectrum of conceptual painting.

The exhibition title was derived from one of the exhibited works, SEE SEE, from the 1980s.

Albert Mertz’s first exhibition at Stalke Gallery took place in 1988, together with Lawrence Weiner. Subsequently, several Danish artists, including Jens Brinch, Søren Andreasen, Nils Erik Gjerdevik, and Peter Holst Henckel, were invited to curate exhibitions with Mertz and to explore perspectives that had not previously been highlighted. This became an important foundation for a new generation of artists in Denmark.

Mertz’s most recognizable body of work was the Red-Blue works from the 1970s and 1980s, a distinctive signature that was also revisited in this exhibition.

The exhibition included more than 75 selected works.

Back to Stalke Galleri exhibition archive