Allegorie. Grafiken zu Gedichten von Rainer Maria Rilke
Thomas Ranft’s portfolio works are legendary, consisting of series of fine, light, swirling works on paper. They arouse the interest of museums and private collectors alike. What subject would thus fit this lightness better than the sensitive language of poetry? It is no wonder Ranft finds his inspiration in the great poets whose works focus on Germanlanguage word play, for example, Ernst Jandl or Friedrich Hölderlin. And this time Rainer Maria Rilke. Ranft has recently created two series based on his intensive preoccupation with Rilke’s poetry und verse. The Schloßbergmuseum is showing the two Rilke portfolios in honour of Ranft’s 75th birthday.
Thomas Ranft was born in Königsee, Thuringia, in 1945. He studied at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst (Academy of Fine Arts) in Leipzig, moving in 1972 to Karl-Marx-Stadt, where he co-founded the artist group and producers’ gallery Clara Mosch together with Carlfriedrich Claus, Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Michael Morgner and Gregor-Thorsten Schade (now: Kozik). Today Ranft lives and works in Amtsberg.
