Rita Grosse-Ruyken

Rita Maria Walburga Grosse-Ruyken (born 29 November 1948) is a contemporary German artist, sculptor, multimedia installation art, artfilm and performance, producer artist and member of the Association of German Artists Deutscher Kuenstlerbund. The core of her light – sound – space – form installations comprise sculptures in motion made from pure gold and silver. She became internationally known through her exhibition Rays of Light.

From 1971 to 1977, she studied free art (diploma) and art education (state examination and master's degree) at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich and dedicated herself to the art of the goldsmith under the guidance of Professor Franz Rickert und Hermann Juenger. She was also influenced by Professor Guenther Fruhtrunk, a constructivist painter as well as by the religious philosopher Aloys Goergen, the president of the academy. From 1977 to 1978 she studied art history and archeology at the University of the Sorbonne in Paris.

From 1983 on, she has worked freelance dedicating herself to researching the transparency, colour, light and movement of sculptures. Since 1993, in her continual exchange with astrophysicists, musicians, philosophers, writers, sound technicians and architects, and into exploring of Primary Sounds produced by integrated sculptures made from pure gold and pure silver which create motion in and by themselves. Since 2008 she has been involved in the production of art films. in Munich as well as the Kunstgewerbemuseum Berlin and MAK, Museum Angewandte Kunst (Frankfurt am Main).

Since 2008, she is creating art films. She is a member of Deutscher Künstlerbund e.V. Berlin, Bundesverband Bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler (BBK), GEMA and VG Bild-Kunst.

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions (selection) 1981: The Prelude to the Round Dance – the Body as Vessel, With a Crown. Light-Form-Installation. Gallery Kröner, Castle Oberrimsingen 1985–2005: Installation SONNENDUNST – Zyklus I, Landakademie Rattenbach 1993: L'ESPRIT DE DIEU PLANAIT À LA SURFACE DES EAUX, The German contribution to the European City of Culture Antwerp 1994: L'ESPRIT DE DIEU PLANAIT SUR LES EAUX, Light-Form-Space-Installation. Die Neue Sammlung, International Design Museum, Munich 2004: DURCHFLUTUNG/RAYS OF LIGHT, Museum of Arts and Design (MAD), New York City & Goethe Institute, New York City 2009: RAYS OF LIGHT – Rita Grosse-Ruyken, MAK, Museum Angewandte Kunst (Frankfurt am Main) 2015: DURCHFLUTUNG AND THE WHITE STONE, ArtCOP21 Agenda culturel Paris Climat 2015 2019: The Power of The Heights Command: DURCHFLUTUNG und DER WEISSE STEIN. Blu-ray Disc Projektion, Haselbacher Muehle, Triftern 1979: Körper – Zeichen, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich 1981: Körper, Schmuck, Zeichen, Raum. Goldschmiedearbeiten, Museum of Design, Zürich 1984: Kirche heute. Architektur und Gerät. Süddeutscher Raum, Die Neue Sammlung, Munich 1993: Münchner Goldschmiede. Schmuck und Gerät der Gegenwart, Münchner Stadtmuseum, Munich 2004: Welt in Tropfen, (Urania, Berlin) 2007: Gulf Art Fair, Dubai (Galerie Thomas, Munich) 2009: Herbert Hoffmann Award 1973–2008, Munich 2011: Ausstellung Pinakothek München 2011: Modern Contemporary Art, Salwa Zeidan Gallery, Abu Dhabi Art 2012: Im Zeichen der Ewigkeit. Positionen zeitgenössischer Kunst, Neues Museum Kloster Schussenried 2012: Quinta Essentia, Deutscher Künstlerbund Berlin 2013: intimate, Frameless Gallery London 2018: KünstlerINNen. Zeitgenössische Positionen in Verbindung mit historischen Werken, Kunsthaus Burg Obernberg, Austria 2019: ITSLIQUID Group: ALCHEMIC BODY. THE LINE Contemporary Art Space, London 2020: VISION EUROPA. 30 Jahre Kultur und Geschichtsverein Vilshofen. Stadtturm, Vilshofen 2020: DURCHFLUTUNG III / RAYS OF LIGHT III. Danner-Preis 2020/100 Jahre Danner-Stiftung, The Design Museum, Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich 2023: 30 x 30 x 30 Jahresausstellung 2023 - Künstler des BBK Niederbayern. Kulturmodell, Passau 2023: Geöffnet – verschlossen: Tür und Tor in der bildenden Kunst. Galerie der Stiftung BC – pro arte, Biberach 2023: Danner-Preis 2023 der Danner-Stiftung. Heiliggeistkirche, Landshut

Literature Sabine Runde (Hrsg.): Transformationen – rays of light (Mit Beiträgen u.a. von Hans Wichmann, Aloys Goergen, André Fischer, Friedrich Piel. Texte in Deutsch und Englisch), Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt 2009, Rita Grosse-Ruyken (Hrsg.): Der Stein der Weisen / quinta essentia. Landakademie für Kunst und Naturphilosophie, Triftern 2012. (Mit Beiträgen von Aloys Goergen, Harald Szeemann und Hans Wichmann) Rita Grosse-Ruyken: Rita Grosse-Ruyken. In: Caroline Sternberg, Kathrina Rudolph (Hrsg.): Künstler*Innen an der ADBK München. Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, 2023. S. 23-27

Awards

1974: Herbert Hofmann Award 1976: Benvenuto Cellini Award 1990: State sponsorship award for young artists and writers in the field of "jewelry of gold and silversmiths"

Art films

2013: Performance THE DRAWING FROM THE GOLDEN CHALICE in Abu Dhabi 2014: The Birth of The Golden DURCHFLUTUNG II during 1987-1990 2014: LE SOUFFLE DE DIEU PLANAIT À LA SURFACE DES EAUX about the 1993 performance in Antwerpen 2015: RAYS OF LIGHT, about the 2009 exhibition with the same name 2006-2019: DURCHFLUTUNG und DER WEISSE STEIN: a film with 12 chapters (length: 17,5 hours) 2018: DER EWIGE QUELL, about the coming "Museum of Visionary Art" in Triftern 2021: Performance DURCHFLUTUNG - DER ERDE at Pinakothek der Moderne, München