Meuser

Meuser remains in the dark as a person

Born in Essen in 1947, Meuser cherishes the mystery surrounding his person and does his best to maintain it. Little is known about his life or his education. His real first name is Nikolaus, but his family name remains hidden from the public. Meuser's artist's name goes back to his earliest childhood days when a career as a sculptor was not even on the cards. There is no connection, however, to the mechanical engineering company of the same name, even though the artist himself also appreciates working with steel. His father worked as an engineer in the steel industry, and Meuser himself studied at the State Academy of Art in Düsseldorf from 1968 to 1976, where his teachers included the performance artist Joseph Beuys and the sculptor Erwin Heerich. In Joseph Beuys' class, his childhood nickname became his artist's name, a biographical detail that Meuser shares with other Beuys students such as Blinky Palermo and Imi Knoebel. In addition to art, he also studied philosophy and art history at university.

Solid iron abstract sculptures and objects 

Meuser organised his first solo exhibition at the Düsseldorf gallery Arno Kohnen in 1978. Even then it became clear that figuration is not the artist's thing. When he assembles his sculptures from solid pieces of metal - usually scrap iron - references to the figurative and representational are usually only found in the sometimes-whimsical titles he gives his works and exhibitions: In 2008, he presented his works at the Kunsthalle Düsseldorf under the name Die Frau reitet und das Pferd geht zu Fuß. Such mischievous exhibition titles can often be found in Meuser's history: in Berlin in 2014 it was called Herr Ober, zwei Doppelte, in Brussels in 2015 Strubbel die Katz, and in Karlsruhe in 2020 there was a friendly and competitive joint exhibition with the minimalist Jonathan Monk under the motto Dr Schlau und Dr Schlauer. In this way, the unconventional thinker from the Ruhr region continues to attract attention to his artistic work, which, despite all the tongue-in-cheek humour, is never about flat jokes.

Between virtuoso lightness and brute force

Meuser has been represented by the Bärbel Grässlin Gallery for over three decades. During this successful period, he participated in Documenta IX in Kassel and received numerous honours: Meuser has received prizes and awards for his art, including the Bremen Art Prize in 1985 and the ars viva sponsorship prize from the Kulturkreis der Deutschen Wirtschaft in 1991/92. Meuser's ability to present his sculptures and objects with both virtuoso lightness and brute force continues to fascinate critics and audiences alike. Many of his works reveal the origin of their materials; the artist makes no effort at all to conceal the welded seams and functional traces of the discarded steel plates and T-beams - it is often clear to see where the creator's hand has been. The nature of the found objects contributes to the character of the work. On 26 May 2018, the artist attended the unveiling of his work Porscheplatz in Essen's Glückauf Park in person. The name is reminiscent of a happy childhood experience for Meuser: during his childhood in Essen, Porscheplatz was home to a funfair with swing boats.

Meuser lives and works in Düsseldorf.