Anselm Reyle ‘Sunrise Mission’ Exhibition

The Luxury Report had the pleasure of attending the press preview of Anselm Reyle’s ‘Sunrise Mission’ at Opera Gallery London this week. The exhibition offered a captivating showcase of Reyle’s latest works, with vibrant new pieces displayed throughout the space. We were lucky enough to have a tour of the exhibition by Anselm, during which he shared insights into the creative process, the stories behind select artworks, and the materials used in their making. Find out more about the exhibition below.

Opera Gallery in London is pleased to present ‘Sunrise Mission’, a comprehensive exhibition of new works by Berlin-based artist, Anselm Reyle. This exhibition marks Reyle’s first major solo show in London and is running until 3 July 2025.

This exhibition showcases a range of his ongoing series, including his Abstract paintings, Stripe paintings, Foil paintings, Scrap Metal paintings, Ceramics, Neon installations, as well as his Chrome Brushstroke paintings, which he began in 2024 and is debuting as a finalised series in ‘Sunrise Mission’.

Additionally, stools made as part of an ongoing collaboration with Franz West are presented in the exhibition. This is the first time these stools, representative of Reyle’s ongoing engagement with furniture design, are being exhibited in a commercial gallery. Previously, they were shown at institutional venues, including the Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin, Deichtorhallen Hamburg, and Inverleigh House in Edinburgh. “The collaboration with Franz West spanned several years. We would send each other leftovers and discarded parts of our works instead of throwing them away. The other would then continue working on them. That was our way of communicating: spontaneous, raw, and humorous. In a way, it brought me back to my artistic roots.” said Reyle.

Through his process-driven practice, Reyle’s abstract paintings and sculptures are frequently characterised by his use of re contextualised objects and experimentation with materials. Part of a post-modernist tradition that goes back to Duchamp’s ready-made and later to Warhol’s silkscreens, his abstract works encourage us to rethink the relationship between art, mass production and consumerism.

This new body of work represents an evolution in Reyle’s process involving a return to his artistic roots. Breaking from the technically refined process he’d previously developed alongside his studio team, Reyle embraced an increasingly raw and spontaneous process in gestural painting that put an emphasis on the unforeseen and immediate. “Above all, I wanted to be more personally involved in the studio again and immerse myself in painting once more. Ultimately, I found a way to use all the techniques and materials I had developed in a freer form” said Reyle.

Perception and irony often play a key role in the interpretation of Reyle’s works. In some instances, what appears as an organic splatter of paint turns out to be a crafted vinyl sticker constructed to appear as if it were generated through organic means. Similarly, his Chrome Brushstroke painting series sees the artist use a chromed structure paste attached to the canvas to mimic the organic materiality of paint. “For quite some time, I have been working with texture pastes that mimic the thick application of oil paint. This led me to the idea of having brushstrokes chrome-plated and integrating them into the painting. Of course, this also references my stripe and foil paintings. I have always been fascinated by chrome surfaces.” said Reyle. Central to his practice is this principle of ‘re-deconstruction’ , which involves the dismantling of recognisable forms being reconstructed using unexpected methods.

“Even during my studies, I painted gestural abstract works—but without subscribing to the belief in the ‘genius gesture’ that was especially dominant in the postwar period.” Reyle continued, “That notion had already been questioned and ironised by artists like Roy Lichtenstein in Pop Art. My painting stands in this tradition as well.” Reyle’s connection to materials also reflects his relationship to process-oriented perfectionism. His practice both incorporates and rejects the austere exercise of control, technical complexity and unrestrained spontaneity – a nod to the limits of abstraction and the virtues of tactility. In regards to his main formal concerns in this new body of work, Reyle said, “What interests me most are the dead ends of modernism.”

Opera Gallery’s CEO Isabelle de La Bruyère stated, “Like many visionary artists, Anselm Reyle stands out for his remarkable ability to transform everyday materials into something distinctly his own, redefining both the conceptual and aesthetic boundaries of mediums—from traditional art forms to the discarded remnants of consumer culture—elevating them into extraordinary works of art. Following our announcement of his representation last year, we are thrilled to present a curated selection of the artist’s new and compelling paintings and sculptures here in London.” ‘Sunrise Mission’ represents Reyle’s continued exploration of modern art history and the idiosyncratic use of materials symbolic of specific time periods.

About Anselm Reyle

Anselm Reyle (b. 1970 in Tübingen, Germany) currently resides and works in Berlin. He studied at the State Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe. Since 2009 the artist has held a position as a professor of Painting/Drawing at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. His work is characterised by the use of various found objects that have been removed from their original function, altered visually, and recontextualised.

Reyle has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions, including shows at the Modern Institute, Glasgow, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris and Kunsthalle, Zurich. His works have also been featured in group exhibitions at Tate Modern, London and Palazzo Grassi, Venice. His work is held in numerous private and public collections worldwide, including Centre Pompidou, Paris, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, Pinault Collection, Venice, Saatchi Gallery, London and Samsung Museum of Modern Art, Seoul.

About Opera Gallery

Founded in Singapore in 1994, Opera Gallery has forged, over its 30 years, a network of galleries worldwide including London, Paris, Madrid, Geneva, New York, and Miami, establishing itself as one of the leading global players within the international art market.

Headed by Gilles Dyan, Chairman and Founder, and Isabelle de La Bruyère, CEO, Opera Gallery specialises in Post-War, Modern and Contemporary Art. In addition, the gallery represents contemporary artists such as Andy Denzler, Pieter Obels and Gustavo Nazareno, alongside internationally recognized names such as Ron Arad, Manolo Valdés, Anthony James and Anselm Reyle.

In 2024, Opera Gallery celebrated its 30th anniversary, and its mission remains focused on showcasing the dynamic, innovative, and diverse expressions of modern and contemporary art. Through its ambitious annual exhibitions, the gallery continues to unite institutions that shape the cultural landscape, while also supporting private collections and collaborating with leading public institutions.

Further information – Opera Gallery