Marc Henri Reckinger. Lëtzebuerger Konschtpräis 2024

Marc Henri Reckinger (1940-2023) was a central figure in the Luxembourgish art scene in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Along with other artists of his generation, he campaigned for change in the local art world, striving to break down entrenched, often institutionally dominated, artistic conventions. His works underwent an artistic evolution from Pop Art to Neo-Cubism, eventually arriving at "Critical Realism," and they reflect a determined protest against social injustices and existing power structures. Deeply rooted in social activism and humanistic values, Reckinger's art consistently urged a critical examination of social inequalities and capitalist exploitation. He himself emphasised: "I am an engaged artist."

The exhibition is a tribute to Marc Henri Reckinger in celebration of his receipt of the Lëtzebuerger Konschtpräis 2024, an award granted by the Ministry of Culture to Luxembourgish visual artists for their lifetime achievements. Following the inaugural awarding of the prize to Berthe Lutgen in 2022, this year honours Reckinger's life's work. The exhibition, organised in collaboration with the Centres d'art Nei Liicht and Dominique Lang in Dudelange, Reckinger's adopted hometown, explores different facets of his work across three locations. At the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart, works from all phases of Reckinger’s artistic career are showcased, with a particular focus on the political dimension of his oeuvre, which significantly shaped his art.

Art in Transition 1966-1996

In the late 1960s, Marc Henri Reckinger, Norbert Ketter, and Nico Thurm founded the Konsdrëffer Scheier, an alternative exhibition platform active from 1967 to 1971. The artists and writers united in this group rebelled against what they saw as a stagnant art scene in Luxembourg, which was dominated by the aesthetics of the École de Paris and established institutions such as the Musées de l'État (now MNAHA) and the Cercle artistique de Luxembourg (CAL). They deliberately chose the rural location in Consdorf as a protest against this entrenched art scene. Influenced by the revolutionary spirit of the time, the group sought new artistic and political directions. Reckinger's works from this period, influenced by Pop Art and Conceptual Art, reflect this search.

He later participated in other artistic protest actions, including the provocative event We call it Arden and live in it (1968), where artists presented themselves almost naked as living artworks at the Salon du CAL. He was also involved in the Ligne brisée (1969) intervention, where a zigzag line was drawn along the Pétrusse, as well as in the first happenings in Luxembourg, Zerstörungen I and II (1969), during the exhibition Erste nichtaffirmative cooperative Ausstellung aktueller Kunst.

After a political hiatus, Reckinger returned to painting in the late 1970s and for several years turned to Cubism, which he viewed as "the most developed, modern, and philosophically complex art form." Inspired by the theories of John Berger, Reckinger saw this movement as a medium for reflecting on and exploring utopian ideas and societal transformation.

  • Sans titre, 1967, oil on canvas: During his honeymoon to London in the 1960s, Reckinger discovered the works of British Pop artists, which inspired him to create his own Pop Art pieces. He viewed these works as "the beginning of questioning the conventional painting and art scene in our country" and regarded them as "a critique of bourgeois culture [in Luxembourg], both in content and form." In 1969, he temporarily abandoned traditional painting and turned to conceptual forms of expression, before putting his artistic career on hold for seven years in favour of political activism, while continuing to work as an art teacher.
  • Sans titre, 1991, mixed media: Reckinger viewed Cubism not merely as an aesthetic movement but was particularly interested in its content. Cubism, which radically broke away from traditional forms of painting and sculpture at the beginning of the 20th century, offered a new perspective on the modern world. Inspired by this innovative approach, Reckinger saw Cubism as a medium to convey a utopian vision of a free, transformed world. Influenced by Juan Gris (1887-1927) and Picasso (1881-1973), his works from this period combine bold colours, figurative elements, and occasionally baroque forms. In the 1980s and 1990s, a time when the art scene was dominated by Postmodernism and new media, Reckinger's continued use of Cubist forms was often criticised as outdated.

The Fight Against Capitalism 1970-1977

From 1970, Reckinger withdrew from art for seven years in order to engage politically alongside his work as an art teacher. Influenced by the events of May 1968 in France, Luxembourgish students at the time were seeking new political paths, which led, among other things, to the formation of smaller left-wing groups. In 1970, Reckinger, together with Ronald Pierre and Robert Mertzig, founded the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), the Luxembourg section of the Trotskyist Fourth International.

Until 1975, he was one of the main editors of the LCR newspaper Klassenkampf. The LCR called for a fundamental restructuring of the capitalist system and was involved in numerous public activities. Reckinger himself ran in the 1974 parliamentary elections on the LCR list in the Southern district, though without success.

Ultimately, the LCR members primarily acted as intellectual observers and were only able to address the real needs of the working class to a limited extent. Their radical positions isolated them even within the trade unions and the political left, leading to a certain degree of societal stigmatisation.

In 1971, for instance, Reckinger was criticised in the press for asking his students to depict the contradiction between the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City and the suppression of the student movement by the Mexican military. In 1978, he was prohibited from exhibiting a painting that depicted Franz-Josef Strauß with a swastika. Even though the LCR had very little influence on Luxembourgish society, Reckinger’s work reflects a worldview deeply shaped by Marxist class struggle analysis.

  • Sans titre (Portrait de Karl Marx), c. 2015-20, acrylic on canvas | Trotsky – 1917, 2017, acrylic on canvas | Sans titre (Portrait de Ernest Mandel), 2020, acrylic on canvas: These three portraits depict key figures who were fundamental to Reckinger’s political thinking: Karl Marx (1818-1883), the German philosopher and economist who, together with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), wrote Das Kapital and laid the foundation for Marxist theory with the Communist Manifesto; Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), the Russian revolutionary who played a significant role in the October Revolution of 1917; and Ernest Mandel (1923-1995), the Belgian Marxist economist and leading figure of the Trotskyist movement in the 20th century. The three portraits, painted by the artist in the final years of his life, were placed above his desk, indicating the special significance the painter attributed to these figures. They serve as visual reminders of the thinkers whose ideas accompanied him from the 1960s until his death and played a central role in his political activism.

The Critical Realist 1980-2023

This section gathers works by Reckinger that can be classified under the term "Critical Realism," which he himself coined. These works are characterised by a clear, figurative, and realistic style, with political themes taking centre stage. Some paintings also address personal and family matters.

With the onset of the 2000s, a period marked by increasing globalisation, Reckinger shifted his focus to the pressing global social and economic challenges of the time. Consequently, his often sombre and critical works are dominated by themes such as the effects of neoliberalism, the 2008 global financial crisis, the events of the Arab Spring in the early 2010s, and climate change.

In a statement from 2006, Reckinger emphasised that while art cannot directly change the world, it can contribute to maintaining a climate of hope: "For the courage to bring about change is forged in people’s minds. A better world is possible. My task as a painter is to participate in the dialogue about the path to that world through my paintings. They should urge the necessary changes. Only in this way can total catastrophe be prevented."

Until the end of Marc Henri Reckinger's life, critical engagement with socio-political challenges remained a central concern in his art.

  • Wer erinnert sich an 1921? 1980, oil on canvas: In this monumental painting, Reckinger addresses the historic strike of Luxembourg's steelworkers in March and April 1921, which was suppressed by French troops. The painting depicts key figures of the time, including Prime Minister Émile Reuter (1874-1973) and industrialists such as Émile Mayrisch (1862-1928). Reckinger links the 1921 event to his contemporary period by incorporating policemen and personalities from the 1970s and 1980s, such as Pierre Werner (1913-2002). In doing so, he highlights the political tensions of the time related to the steel crisis. The work reflects Reckinger's Marxist perspective, placing the conflict between the working class and capital at the forefront, while not addressing the social progress made in the interim.
  • Frida + Diego, peintres révolutionnaires, 2014-15, acrylic on canvas: The painting depicts the Mexican artist couple Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957), whose revolutionary spirit Reckinger deliberately highlights in the title. Both were active members of the Mexican Communist Party. In the background, La Casa Azul is visible, the famous home of Kahlo and later Rivera. Also depicted is the Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky (1879-1940), who sought political asylum in Mexico in 1937 and was murdered there in 1940. During his exile, Trotsky maintained close relationships with Kahlo and Rivera; shortly after his arrival, he also had a brief affair with Kahlo. The artist, known for her expressive self-portraits that reflect her political ideology, cultural identity, and turbulent life, dedicated her 1937 work Self-Portrait Dedicated to Leon Trotsky to him.
  • Nouvel esclavage, 2015, acrylic on canvas: In Nouvel esclavage, the artist addresses the European debt crisis that began in 2009, which severely impacted Southern European countries. Nations like Greece, Spain, and Portugal were forced to implement extensive austerity measures due to their high national debt and the global financial crisis. In his work, Reckinger depicts key figures of the crisis, such as Jean-Claude Juncker (EU), Christine Lagarde (IMF), and Mario Draghi (ECB), positioned behind glass as they look down on chained figures labelled as "guilty." Through this, the artist expresses a critical perspective on the existing power structures and their social consequences.