Sigmar Polke: The Knowledge of Colours

Taking Sigmar Polke’s radical color experiments in the 1980s as a point of departure, the exhibition Sigmar Polke: The Knowledge of Colours explores the astounding beauty and intensity of his paintings, as well as the ongoing transformations of material and meaning they conceal.

The selection spans more than three decades and reveals Polke’s exceptional ability to interweave precision and playfulness, control and chance, color and form. Here, the act of painting appears as an open, experimental, and ever-changing practice. Polke was a meticulous observer of what happens when materials become soiled, break down, or change form over time. Driven by an almost alchemical curiosity, he experimented with unorthodox pigments and substances. This way of working, in which the process is just as important as the end result, became a vital inspiration for many of his fellow artists.

The heart of the exhibition consists of a four-part series from the collection of De Pont Museum: Hermes Trismegistos I-IV (1995). In dialogue with Farbtafeln (1986/87 and 1992)—eight monochrome color panels from the collection of the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam—and other works on loan from museums in the Netherlands and abroad, as well as private collections, this ensemble provides a starting point for fundamental questions about Polke’s painting and his fascination with gaining an understanding of color. From there, the exhibition ranges from early experiments with color and material dating from the 1980s to his interference works from the 2000s, which center primarily on light, transparency, movement and transformation. The layers of cultural and political meaning embedded in pigments, minerals, and materials are explored as well.This exhibition is part of a larger project Sigmar Polke: Athanor NOW, being organized by the Anna Polke Foundation in 2026 to mark the fortieth anniversary of Sigmar Polke’s iconic Athanor installation in the German pavilion at the 1986 Venice Biennale. In cooperation with partners around the globe, contemporary artistic and scientific perspectives are being applied to shed new light on Polke’s groundbreaking work.Sigmar Polke: The Knowledge of Colours is a joint exhibition by De Pont Museum and Anna Polke Foundation. Curators: Kathrin Barutzki (Anna Polke Foundation), Martijn van Nieuwenhuyzen, and Maria Schnyder (De Pont Museum). This exhibition is part of the project Sigmar Polke: Athanor NOW, organized by the Anna Polke Foundation and financially supported by the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation, Zurich. 
 
Learn more at the De Pont Museum.