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 Nei Liicht Gallery and the Galerie Dominique Lang in Dudelange, Reckinger's adopted hometown, explores different facets of his work across three locations. At the National Museum on 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.
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.
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.