The Stengel Collection announces the UK’s first solo exhibition of Karl Stengel
Opening on 21 May at gallery@oxo in London, the forthcoming exhibition will present a curated selection of 24 paintings, works on paper, and mixed-media compositions spanning from the 1970s to the 2010s. The exhibition aims to illuminate the artist’s introspective, and deeply expressive creative practice. This significant event will also feature a selection of Karl Stengel’s seldom-exhibited drawing diaries, offering UK audiences a rare opportunity to gain insight into the artist’s remarkable life and artistic evolution.
Themes of exile, isolation, and trauma frequently permeate Stengel’s work, evoking the existential anxieties of postwar Europe. At once lyrical and dramatic, his practice demonstrates a profound engagement with poetry, music, and literature.
Incorporating collaged book pages and musical scores into his compositions, Stengel draws inspiration from a wide range of cultural sources, including Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Charles Bukowski, Blaise Cendrars and Antonio Tabucchi, to name but a few.
Dates: Wednesday 21 – Friday 30 May 2025
Opening times: everyday, 11am-6pm
Private view: Thursday 22 May, 6.30-8.30pm
Address: gallery@oxo, Oxo Tower Wharf, Barge House St, London SE1 9PH