Spontaneous and Constructive – Ernst Weil (1919–1981)

With this introduction to Ernst Weil, a painter of the post-war period, the MGGU presents the first comprehensive exhibition on the artist to take place in his native Frankfurt am Main. The retrospective, draws in part on a show taking place at the Städtisches Museum Kunstvilla in Nuremberg in 2020, which it supplements with further private and public loans. In addition to providing a chronological overview of Ernst Weil’s paintings, it sheds light on the multifaceted nature of his artistic and creative work, which also encompasses newspaper illustrations, book designs, room furnishings, animations and a forceful and independent printmaking oeuvre. Weil’s art combines spontaneous gesture with meticulous construction. And although much of it is distinguished by a high degree of abstraction, it never departs entirely from the perceivable world.

Ernst Weil was appointed professor of free painting in Nuremberg in the 1960s. Nevertheless, his works are largely unknown today.