Author Archives: Kurt Ries

Art gift book ‘Inspiration Venice – Inspiration Venedig’

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An Homage to Venice and Marco Polo

Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume X

Editor: Kurt Ries

Venice stirs admiration and wonder and exerts a strange power over the imagination. At times its appearance resembles a theater production, at times a mirage from 1001 Nights. Strolling through it feels like sliding into a daydream – shimmering like mother-of-pearl, everything solid dissolves into water and colors. For centuries, the poetic melancholy of the lagoon city has been challenging artists and poets with its magic. Even its name stirs up associations with “Venus” who sprang from the foam of the sea.

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Art gift book ‘Magic of La Bohème – Zauber der Bohème’

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An Homage to Paris and Puccini

Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume IX

Editor: Kurt Ries

Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece “La Bohème” is one of the five most frequently performed operas in the world. Set in Paris, the main reason for its success is that it depicts the actual lives, pains, and loves of artists working without trying to please the public, striving instead to create pure art. Any life governed by such idealistic ambitions is somewhat awe-inspiring. Cherishing the complete creative freedom the bohemians sought, this book predominantly features works unrelated to its title topic.

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Art gift book ‘Color Symphonies – Farbsymphonien’

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In Memory of Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh

Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume VIII

Editor: Kurt Ries

While Gauguin and van Gogh were rather different people, they had some things in common. Besides frequently discussing Buddhist subjects, they shared an intense longing for the south, the sun, and the joy of exotic colors. After reading about the Marquesas Islands, Vincent, too, felt drawn towards the “savage”, now wanting to paint childishly simple pictures like those featured in old peasant calendars. Gauguin had only strengthened his convictions when talking about the suggestive expressiveness of colors.

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Art gift book ‘Art in Dialogue with Nature – Kunst im Dialog mit Natur’

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In Memory of Antoni Gaudí and Daniel Defoe

Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume VII

Editor: Kurt Ries

When Antoni Gaudí took over as main architect of the Sagrada Familia in 1883, his feelings towards Christianity– not unlike those of Daniel Defoe’s fictional hero Robinson Crusoe – were rather ambiguous. Inspired by his dedicated study of liturgy and the spiritual dialogue between art and nature, Gaudí finally found his faith as an architect. Similarly, Robinson on his lonely island developed a relationship with God through his conversations with nature.

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Art gift book “Odyssey of Life – Odyssee des Lebens – Homage to Homer”

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Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume V

Editor: Kurt Ries

He believed the “Fountain of Cressida” in Corfu was the place where Nausicaa had washed her laundry, but the island of the Phaeacians remains a dream. The German wholesale merchant Heinrich Schliemann was a cosmopolitan and a genius. Or was he just a dreamer? He sees Homer´s epics mainly as works of art but reads them in his own way. Eventually, he excavates a seafarers´ realm from the Late Helladic period and becomes the father of Mycenaean archeology.

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Art gift book “Flowers for Monet – Blumen für Monet”

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Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume III

Editor: Kurt Ries

Don’t we all long to live like flowers, alive with perfect beauty? The work of Claude Monet (1840 – 1926) is a seed that has firmly taken root in the world’s artistic heritage. It was a trip that inspired Monet to create his radiant garden in Giverny. After traveling through the night, the flower fields in Holland appeared before his eyes like a bright sea of colours, in which the blossoming individual flowers simultaneously dissolved and fully unfolded. Flowers unite the light energy of the sun and the mythical spirit of earth and water. Based on this idea, 67 artists from 29 countries came together at the occasion of Claude Monet’s 180th birthday to honor the well-traveled impressionist with contemporary artistic abundance.

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Art gift book “Moonlight Sonatas for Beethoven – Mondscheinsonaten für Beethoven”

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Book series LOUNGE 2 – volume II

Editor: Kurt Ries

Name a tune you want to listen to again and again, because it goes straight to the heart. Millions on the internet click “Moonlight Sonata” in response to this call. At the same time, both the title and the history of this work have long been subjects of debate. The fact is that Beethoven reversed the conventional sequence of the first and the second movement, thus breaking with the classical sonata form, which may explain this word choice of “fantasy” in the original title. Based on this idea, 69 artists from 26 countries got together at the occasion of Beethoven’s 250th birthday and – with boundless sensitivity – interpreted the “Moonlight Sonata” in visual terms. 

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5th International ‘Enter into Art’ Installations 2019 – Opening of the Main Exhibition in Cologne

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The traveling exhibition ‘Fascination of Worldwide Art and Color’ shows small-format artworks from all over the world whose composition emphasizes meditative aspects. The artworks are arranged in ‘color zones’ for attentive viewing and relaxation, giving the idea of intercultural exchange space to flow in. Very different artistic techniques and styles are presented and combined with smaller sculptures, poetry, and sound. The exhibition gives viewers access to a broad spectrum of high-quality art and we would like to thank all artists and contributors for their commitment!

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4th International ‘Enter into Art’ Installations 2018 – Opening in Cologne

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The “Enter into Art” exhibition period 2017-18 features 219 artists from 49 countries on five continents. All images submitted by artists are also presented in folders in our “Atelier Corner” (usually including two further images per artist). In addition, we have integrated the solo exhibitions of the first three award winners from 2017 into the Cologne exhibition. The main exhibition can be visited until March 14 at the Cultural Center in Cologne-Mülheim, while the exhibitions in Weißenthurm and Kobern-Gondorf will continue until May 17, 2018. A total of 20 prizes (and 47 finalists) have been awarded, including 13 jury awards and seven editorial awards.

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Enter into Art – Exhibition Concept: Tour of the Miniprint + Mixed Media Installation, Cologne 2016

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More insights into the miniprint and mixed media exhibition “Fascination worldwide art and color” 2016 in Cologne: We have photographed all showrooms of the art installation in detail. Thus, we make sure that the images of all participating artists can be seen. Other components of the exhibition are pictures, sculptures, poems, relaxing music, sound (mp3 player with headphones and tone bar), as well objects of art, colored light, and color banners and instructions for relaxation through colors and art. There is also a suitable cultural program with readings, film and music.

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