Red Mannheim

Alexander's exploration of Egell's baroque altarpiece in Red Mannheim embodies a revitalized conversation between modern visual artists and those before them. Through various techniques, he reinterprets and refreshes the work, steering viewers to consider it afresh. He does this by alienating the core subject, displacing the religious iconography, and leveraging elements of surprise to foster deeper engagement.

Central to Alexander's approach is the fragmented state of the Egell Altar—a poignant, if not jarring, prompt for viewers to reflect on the ravaged state of the original masterpiece. The absence of certain figures and elements, presented starkly in black in his paintings, echoes what Ingarden and Iser would describe as "blanks" or "indeterminacies." These gaps provoke viewer interpretation, fostering an ever-evolving dialogue with the artwork and ensuring its continued relevance.

This method of appropriative reproduction isn't unique to Alexander. It's seen in works like Cindy Sherman's photographic reinterpretations of Old Master paintings. Such approaches challenge longstanding notions of "uniqueness, authorship, and originality." When artists like Alexander reference iconic works, they're building upon a rich tradition of engaging with seminal pieces. They're leveraging art history's system to enrich their own creations, operating on a meta-level to bring the past into the present.

The Lost Museum: The Berlin Sculpture and Paintings Collections 70 years after the WWII

Böde Museum, Berlin

19.March - 27 September 2015

Red Mannheim I & II (Solo Exhibition) St. Paul's Cathedral, LondonSummer 2010

Red and White Mannheim (Solo Exhibition) Bōde Museum, Berlin 29 October 2014 – 15 February 2015

Mannheim Paintings (Solo Exhibition) The Galerie Bastian, Berlin 24 May – 02 August 2014

Contemplating the Spiritual in Contemporary Art Rosenfeld Porcini, London 07 June – 13 July 2019

Mark Alexander

Red Mannheim II

  • Oil on Canvas
  • 190 x 258 cm
  • 2010
Painting of a destroyed altarpiece with all images removed apart from Adam and Eve as children. (Red version)

White Mannheim

  • Oil on Canvas
  • 190 x 258 cm
  • 2010
Painting of a destroyed altarpiece with all images removed apart from Adam and Eve as children. (White version)

Red Mannheim I by the conceptual artist Mark Alexander at the St. Paul's Cathedral, London

Installation shot inside St Pauls Cathedral of Mark Alexander's Red Mannheim painting.

Mannheim Paintings at Bastian Gallery, Berlin

Mark Alexander's Red Mannheim painting and one Shield of Achilles on display at the Bastian Museum Berlin. with one visitor viewing.

installation shot Bode Museum Berlin

The inside of the Bode Museum in Berlin.

installation Bode museum Berlin

installation photograph of Mark Alexanders exhibition at the Bode Museum in Berlin.

studio

Photograph of Mark Alexander's Studio in Berlin.  A white Mannheim painting and a blue circular painting of the Shield of Achilles.