Martin C. Herbst
Born in Salzburg in 1965.
He studied painting at the Hochschule Mozarteum from 1984-1989, and later relocated to Vienna, where he resides today.
Martin C. Herbst is an Austrian painter, whose work focuses on an elaborate reevaluation of art historical themes and theories of classical portraiture and human figures.
His "subjects" are individual but at the same time portray the best work of their epochs. The traditional intent to display the distinctive likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person is combined with witty and often unexpected forms of representation. Faces appear on spheres and look like caged moonfaces. They are distorted when painted on curved panels, but look "normal" if the viewer perceives them from a certain point of view. Or they are painted very traditional, but exist in multiple versions.
His virtuosic, often monumental figurative paintings and objects appear paradoxically, at times cool, distant, mediated as well as present and vivid. Herbst carefully avoids narration or any illustrative visual discourse, while convincingly exploiting his potential as an impressive colorist.
Solo Exhibitions
2017
Art Palm Springs, Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts
Art Karlsruhe, Die Galerie
Einfach GroßARTig (group), BEGE Galerien Ulm
2015
WUNDERKAMMER, Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
Martijn van Wenen, Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2014
Take my eyes, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Afterimage, Juan Ruiz Gallery, Miami, USA
2013
Der Schöne Schein; GPL contemporary, Vienna, Austria
Wahre Illusion; Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Deutschland
Martin C. Herbst, Boloix Fine Arts, Ketchum/Idaho, USA
2012
Strange days, Jacob Karpio Gallery, San José, Costa Rica
Vom Sein und Schein der Welt, Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
2011
Metamorphosis, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Precious, Mark Hachem Gallery, Paris, France
2010
Traces, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada
Garden of Delights, Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany
Metamorphosen, T-40 Galerie, Düsseldorf, Germany
2009
Most már dereng, Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary
Ariodante, Mike Weiss Gallery, New York, NY
Group Exhibitions
2016
Störpunkt, Galerie für Gegenwartskunst, München: half a pound of art
2015
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Varfok Gallery´s 25th Anniversary Exhibition Várnegyed Gallery, Budapest, Hungary: Várfok 25 – a selection from 25 private contemporary art collectionsJuan Ruiz Galeria, Miami, USA: up with diversity!
Mana Contemporary, New York: Here’s Looking Back at You: Images of Woman
Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Binghampton NY, USA: Eleven Years
Boloix Fine Arts, Ketchum/Idaho: summer exhibition
Galerie LeRoyer, Montreal: summer collective
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: Summer
Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Binghampton NY, USA: Palm Springs Fine Art Fair
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: AAF Brussels
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: AAF London
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany: Art Karlsruhe 2015
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Art Miami
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Art Silicon Valley
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: ArtFair Köln
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Art Market Budapest
Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Binghampton NY, USA: Context Art Miami
Jacob Karpio Gallery, Bogotá: Scope Miami
2014
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: opening Amsterdam 2014
Fischerplatzgalerie Ulm, Germany: 30 Jahre Fischerplatzgalerie
Wanrooij Gallery, Arnheim, The Netherlands: Realisme 14 (Amsterdam)
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Miami, USA: art wynwood
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: AAF New York
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: AAF Amsterdam
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Scope Miami
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Miami
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: Art Toronto
Wanrooij Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Hamburg
2013
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto,Canada:Winter Solstice Painting Extravaganza
CAP-Exhibition Space Kuwait: Body Variances, Five European Sculptors
Kunst Palais Liechtenstein: GrauRand
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Diving Lines
Collective exhibition, Mark Hachem Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Winter group show, Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto fairs:
Wanrooij Gallery, Arnheim, The Netherlands: Realisme 13 (Amsterdam)
Wanrooij Gallery, Arnheim, The Netherlands: Art at the Warehouse (Rotterdam) Juan Ruiz Galeria,
Miami, USA: art wynwood
Wanrooij Gallery, Arnheim, The Netherlands: Art 2013 (Utrecht)
Wanrooij Gallery, Arnheim, The Netherlands: SCOPE Basel
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Miami, USA: Art Miami
2012
Claire Oliver Gallery, New York: Beyond Bling, The artist as Jeweler
GPL Contemporary, Wien: Halali: Die Jagd nach dem Zeitgenössischen Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm: schwarzweiß weißschwarz
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Summer Group Show
REÖK, Szeged:Kontrazstok vonzásában / attracted by contrasts Fischerplatz Galerie, Ulm: WinterARTigkeiten Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Armory show, New York
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: art palm beach
Mauger Modern London: India Art fair
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: art wynwood
Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland: Scope Basel
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: FIA Caracas
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: ARTBO, Bogota
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Art Miami
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Miami
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Art Miami
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Art Market Budapest
2011
Die Galerie, Frankfurt am Main: Figurative Kunst aus Österreich
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Bakers Dozen
Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland:
TWENTY – FIVE
T-40, Düsseldorf, Germany: 7th anniversary
Fischerplatzgalerie Ulm: SommerARTigkeiten
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Jacob Karpio Who
Dvorac sec contemporary, Prague: No borders – Appeal to heaven
Mark Hachem Beirut: Epilogue
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: art palm beach
Mauger Modern London: London Art Fair
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Scope New York
Mauger Modern London: Scope New York
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Art Chicago
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: FIA Caracas
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Basel
Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland: Scope Basel
Mauger Modern London: KIAF, Korea
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto: Art Toronto (sculpturfield)
Fabian & Claude Walter Galerie, Zürich, Switzerland: Kunst Zürich
Regis Krampf Gallery New York: Istanbul Contemporary
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: Art Miami
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Miami
2010
Várfok Galéria, Budapest: Crescendo
Life as a Legend: Marilyn Monroe - MOCA - Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
GPL Contemporary, Wien: neue und etablierte Positionen Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Miami International Fair
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany: Art Karlsruhe
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: Art Chicago
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: FIA, Caracas
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Basel
Fabian&Claude Walter Galerie Zürich: Scope Basel
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: ARTBO, Bogota
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela: ARTBO, Bogota
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: Art Toronto
Fabian&Claude Walter Galerie Zürich: Kunst Zürich
Regis Krampf Gallery New York: Istanbul Contemporary
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: SCOPE Miami
Christopher Cutts Gallery, Toronto, Canada: SCOPE Miami
Juan Ruiz Galeria, Maracaibo, Venezuela:Art Miami
2009
Fabian&Claude Walter Galerie Zürich: The Beautiful Painting Show
T-40 Galerie, Düsseldorf: 5th Anniversary
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Los Angeles Art Show
Mike Weiss Gallery, N.Y.: Scope New York
Mike Weiss Gallery, N.Y.: Chicago Art Fair
Fabian&Claude Walter Galerie Zürich: Scope Basel
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Basel
Várfok Galéria, Budapest: Art Vilnius
MITO, Barcelona, Arte Santander
Fischerplatzgalerie Ulm: Art Bodensee
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Artbo, Bogota
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Budapest Art Fair
2008
Galerie Bailly Contemporain, Paris: phobea
SPUR projects, Portola Valley, CA
Five Year Anniversary Show, Mike Weiss Gallery, New York, NY
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: MIS-EN ABYME (KÉP A KÉPBEN)
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany: Ganz schön ART-ig: LECKERBISSEN III
T-40 Galerie, Düsseldorf: Summer Jam
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Miami
MITO,Barcelona, Spain: Art Madrid
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany: Art Karlsruhe
Mike Weiss Gallery, N.Y.: Scope N.Y.
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Art Brussels
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Basel
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Balelatina Basel
Fabian&Claude Walter Galerie Zürich: Scope Basel
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Hamptons
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Artbo, Bogota
International Art Fair, MITO, Barcelona, Spain : Scope London
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany:10. Art International Zürich
Galerie Bailly Contemporain Show Off , Paris
Galerie von Braunbehrens, München, Germany: Kunst Zürich
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Budapest Art Fair
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Miami
Mike Weiss Gallery, N.Y.: Scope Miami
2007
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland: Art Miami
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland: Palmbeach3
Fischerplatzgalerie,Ulm,Germany: schwarzweiß- weißschwarz
Fischerplatzgalerie, Ulm, Germany: Art Karlsruhe
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: real-irreal KunstHausWien, Vienna, Austria: Malerei der Gegenwart: Zurück zur Figur
Dayton Art Institute, Ohio
Huntington Museum of Art, WV Sioux City Art Center, Iowa
Galerie von Braunbehrens, München, Germany: KIAF, Seoul
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland: Art Moscow
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: arteBA, Buenos Aires
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Scope Basel
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Artbo 2007, Bogota
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland: modern 07, München
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland selection 07, Moskau
Fischerplatzgalerie,Ulm,Germany: ART.FAIR 21, Köln
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Cologne Fine Art, Köln
MITO,Barcelona, Spain: arte Lisboa, Portugal
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: Art.Fair, Budapest
Jacob Karpio Galeria, San José, Costa Rica: Art Basel
Miami Beach
2006
MITO,Barcelona, Spain CAP-I-CUA
Rudolf Budja Galerie/ Artmosphere Salzburg: AMADEUS – MADEUSA
Boca Raton Museum of Art, FL, USA: Life as a Legend - Marilyn Monroe
Rudolf Budja Galerie/ Artmosphere Wien: Art Miami
Rudolf Budja Galerie/ Artmosphere Wien: palmbeach3
Rudolf Budja Galerie/ Artmosphere Wien: 10th
International Art Fair Moscow
Leonhard Ruethmueller Contemporary, Basel, Switzerland: art.fair, Köln
Várfok Galéria, Budapest, Hungary: plug - contemporary art show Budapest
2005
Rudolf Budja Galerie / Artmosphere – Salzburg: “Beauty Galerie Kulterer/Schloß Wolfsberg /Austria “Wiesionen - Zeitkunst“
Galleria Juris and Perl, Venice, Italy
Centro Cultural de la Villa Madrid; Claustro de Exposiciones del Palacio,Provincial de Cádiz; “Marilyn, una vida de Leyenda“
2004
Rudolf Budja Galerie / Artmosphere Salzburg "Love"
Reales Atarazanes de Valencia – Spain; Vakko Beyoglu
Art Gallery, Istanbul, “Marilyn, una vida de leyenda”
2003
Artmosphere Vienna "The Last Supper"
"Marilyn. The life of a legend", County Hall Gallery, Galerie Levi, Hamburg
2001
Christine König Galerie, Vienna: "Ich Tarzan – Du felix Austria?"
Biography
2010
Mozartkugel in einem verspiegeltem Menschenbild, Roland Mayer, 31.1.2010 ,Neu Ulmer Zeitung Bilder der Tochter, Käppeler, SWP, 15.2.2010
2008
"Lincoln Center Through these eyes",The Metro, March 28-30, 2008
Ayers, Robert. “ Scoping out Scope”, ARTINFO, March, 2008
200799 Faces, Austria
2007
“Martin C. Herbst, speculum spectaculum (mirror miracles)“, Florian Steininger, Vernissage, Juni 2007
“Speculum sprectaculum“ de Martin C. Herbst, Art Neutre, 3.5.2007
“Die Aura der Augen“, Roland Mayer, Neu Ulmer Zeitung
“Martin C. Herbst bei Ruethmueller“, Annemarie Maag, MZ
2006
Speculum-spectaculum, published by MITO, Barcelona, 2006
Cap-I-Cua, published by MITO, Barcelona, 2006
2005
Angelus, published by Rudolph Budja Galerie / Artmosphere, Vienna 2005
“(Wie) neu geboren“, Hartwig Bischof, Die Furche, 10.3.2005
“Engel fahren nicht mit dem Fahrrad“, Claudia Aigner, Wiener Zeitung, 18.3.2005
“Martin C. Herbst, Redierunt angeli oder there must be an angel, playing with my heart“ Günter Holler-Schuster, Vernissage
2004
Madonna in Art, published by Chacer Press, London, 2004
2003
Faces, published by Artmosphere, Vienna 2003
Marilyn Monroe: Life of a Legend, published by Galerie Levy, Hamburg, 2003
1996
M.C. Herbst, published by Galerie Gerlich, Salzburg 1996