Konrad Klapheck. Not Made by Human Hands

The solo exhibition “Not Made by Human Hands” is dedicated to the “machine-objective” paintings of the Düsseldorf artist Konrad Klapheck (1935–2023). His works transform banal everyday objects into symbols of a technologized society—situated between sober precision, surreal depth of field, and subtle social critique.

Klapheck’s devices, lacking any clearly identifiable function, stand as symbols for cultural roles and power structures. His paintings and prints raise fundamental questions about technology, labor, and control—and in their metaphorical amplification, they remain strikingly relevant today.

The exhibition positions itself as a contribution to a renewed art-historical discourse on images of technology in post-1945 art. Conceptually, it connects to the anniversary of New Objectivity and Magic Realism, establishing links to artists such as Richard Oelze.

For the presentation in the historic rooms of Schloss Cappenberg, loans were secured from the Rhineland, the Münsterland region, and beyond—including museums of the RuhrKunstMuseen, the Ludwig Forum Aachen, Kunsthaus NRW, and the Hamburger Kunsthalle. The exhibition is further enriched by works from private collections and galleries.