Charline von Heyl
Charline von Heyl’s first exhibition at Xavier Hufkens presents a suite of new paintings and works on paper that dazzle in their invention, wit, and formal tension. Long regarded as a vital force in contemporary painting, von Heyl conjures a visual universe that is as expansive as it is unpredictable. The result is a protean body of work, yet instantly recognisable for its confidence and inventiveness. von Heyl came of age in Cologne and Dusseldorf during painting’s resurgence in the 1980s. While many of her contemporaries embraced conceptual detachment and irony, von Heyl steered toward a visual idiom of exuberance, surprise, and mischief. At the core of von Heyl’s practice is a deep belief in painting as a generative, open-ended mode of enquiry. Each canvas becomes a site of experimentation, shaped less by singular vision than by collision — between discipline and improvisation, elegance and boldness. von Heyl doesn’t so much resolve a painting as conjure the possibility of one. Her works offer no answers. Instead, they refine the question: what can painting do now? Charline von Heyl (b. 1960, Germany) lives and works in between New York, NY and Marfa, TX. She studied painting in Hamburg and Düsseldorf and participated in the Cologne-based art scene in the 1980s. The Giddy Road to Ruin will open at the George Economou Collection in Athens in June, focusing on works from the 1990s to the present and curated by Adam Weinberg and Skarlet Smatana. Her paintings were featured in the 59th Biennale di Venezia (2022). von Heyl has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including at the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C. (2018); Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle (2018); Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2018); Tate Liverpool (2012); Kunsthalle Nürnberg (2012); Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston (2012); Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia (2011); Le Consortium, Dijon (2009); Dallas Museum of Art (2005); and Vienna Secession (2004), among many others.
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Xavier Hufkens established his eponymous gallery in 1987 in an unrefurbished warehouse in central Brussels. From the beginning, the gallery played a pivotal role in introducing some of today’s most influential contemporary voices to Brussels, including British sculptor Antony Gormley—still represented by the gallery—as well as Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Rosemarie Trockel, both of whom had their Belgian debuts with Xavier Hufkens.
In 1992, the gallery relocated to a 19th-century townhouse in Ixelles, redesigned by Belgian architects Paul Robbrecht, Hilde Daem and Marie-José Van Hee. The elegant, light-filled space quickly became one of Brussels’ most prominent venues for contemporary art. That decade marked a deepening of the gallery’s programme with the addition of artists such as Richard Artschwager, Thierry De Cordier and Jan Vercruysse. In 1997, the gallery expanded into an adjacent building, allowing for larger and more ambitious exhibitions. During this period, Xavier Hufkens became the longest-standing representative of Louise Bourgeois, Roni Horn and Thomas Houseago, forging lasting relationships that would shape the gallery’s identity.
The 2000s saw a continued evolution of the programme and physical footprint. Sterling Ruby debuted in 2009 with a dual exhibition in dialogue with Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography, underscoring the gallery’s sensitivity to resonances between artists across time and medium. In 2013, a second location opened in the iconic 1970s Galerie Rivoli building, designed by Swiss architect Harry Gugger (formerly of Herzog & de Meuron). The Rivoli space has since hosted solo exhibitions by Paul McCarthy, Nicolas Party, Danh Vō, Cathy Wilkes and Zhang Enli, and many others. The gallery further expanded its roster with the addition of Belgian artist Walter Swennen in 2014, followed by acclaimed British artist Tracey Emin in 2015.
In 2020, the gallery welcomed several new artists, including Lynda Benglis and Huma Bhabha, and inaugurated a third Brussels location on rue Van Eyck. Two years later, the original St-Georges gallery reopened following a major renovation and extension by its original architects, Robbrecht & Daem. This period also marked the beginning of collaborations with Cecilia Vicuña, Christopher Wool and the Estate of Milton Avery, and Mark Manders.
Today, Xavier Hufkens stands as one of Europe’s leading contemporary art galleries, celebrated for its curatorial rigour, long-term dedication to artists and estates, and distinctive architectural settings. With a programme that spans generations and geographies, the gallery continues to play a vital role in shaping the contemporary art discourse in Brussels and beyond.