In our Elysée gallery, contemporary figurative painting from northern Germany has been exhibited and promoted in a changing programme of exhibitions since 1985. After as many as 140 exhibitions, patron and collector Christa Block has created a greatly respected forum for the promotion of art in Hamburg and beyond. The gallery presents a convincing range of stylistic and thematic positions and thus pays tribute to the important traditions of realism in northern Germany in the 20th and 21st centuries.
The artists
ANDREAS CLAUSSEN, ANNE BÖDEKER, CORINNA WEINER, JANKO GÖTTLICHER, MARINA KROHS, MIRIAM HILKER UND ULF PETERMANN
Pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth: the seven deadly sins are the focus of our current exhibition. The idea of the deadly sins originated in monastic life in the fifth century AD. Over hundreds of years, a catalog of sins was developed, refined and finally fixed from human weaknesses, vices and passions. Although the deadly sins have lost their existential significance in our lives, they have remained in place over the centuries as moral guidelines for social behavior. For our exhibition, seven artists have explored this fascinating topic in a variety of ways. They show us the deadly sins as sweet seduction, unpleasant vice, great temptation and as universal experiences and feelings of every human being.
The “Elysée Prize for Painting” to promote young talent from the region is endowed with €10,000 and has already been awarded 12 times to students at north German universities. An independent jury consisting of artists, art historians and cultural journalists decides on the winner of the award. On the occasion of the award ceremony, submitted works are shown during an exhibition at the Galerie im Elysée.
After the Elysée Prize exhibition, works are purchased and included in the Block Collection. They are shown permanently in the corridors on the fifth floor of the Grand Elysée Hamburg and can be viewed there. A summary of earlier Elysée winners can also be found here.