Fast Facts: Untitled by Ulrich Rückriem

Created in 1989

Gifted to WWU in 2005

Minimalistic/Process Art

Ulrich Rückriem is a German artist born in Dusseldorf. He would later move to Düren, where he’d work as an apprentice stonecutter. Eventually he came into contact with artists and galleries and began working as a freelance artist. Most of Rückriem’s work is accessible as public art in Germany with some sculptures in other countries. He currently works and resides in London and Köln. There is a permanent collection of his work on display at the Sculpture Halls Ulrich Rückriem in Sinsteden, Germany.

Ulrich Rückriem’s work focuses on minimalism and is part of a movement called Process Art. Process Art is a concept utilized by artists that, much like the name implies, focuses less on defining the completed piece as art than the act of creating the piece being considered an art itself.  Rückriem infuses Process Art and minimalism when creating Untitled and his other works. The Process Art movement appeared in the 1960s and included the work of famous artists such as Jackson Pollock.

Rückriem’s work is characterized by compelling choices regarding placement and materiality. Each work has a self-evident presence.  Both Untitled and its surroundings combine to form the art piece as a whole. The power of the stone material compels the viewer and its pillar shape appears like a part of nature. The processes of cutting, reassembling, and polishing the work contribute to the minimalism of the piece.  The sculptural simplicity of the pieces adds to the calm mood that the work is meant to evoke. His stone works deal with what is lacking in the sculpture rather than what is there—this emphasizes the minimalist influences of Rückriem’s work. Rückriem also specifically removes work titles accordingly and only gives works the description of the material and production process, further emphasizing Rückriem’s rejection of “content” in his work.

The piece Untitled was brought to Western in 2005.  It was created in 1989, a year of extreme political change in Rückriem’s home, Germany. At the time, a wave of political unrest swept over Europe, resulting in the demolition of the Berlin Wall, a major historical landmark that forever changed the dynamic in Germany between East and West. Perhaps this played a role in Untitled, as the holes drilled into the piece’s face remind one of construction, or maybe deconstruction. It sits tall and defiant as part of a wall that once was. In the center a perfect rectangle is cut, almost like a window meant to spark reverie, rather than one to simply be looked through.

Rückriem, throughout his career, has not only created the piece on our campus, but has sculptures across Europe. An impressive piece of his is Siglo XX, created in 1995, which stands in Abiego, Spain. Reminiscent of a modern-day Stonehenge, the installation includes 20 stone pillars placed in an open field. Not only are the pillars themselves interesting—they are divided into thirds horizontally and then placed back together with one third sunken into the ground—but the placement of each holds meaning as well. Rückriem placed the pillars in a manner similar to that of the Eight Queens Puzzle, a chess puzzle in which eight queens on a chessboard may not threaten any other. He placed the pillars so that none interfere with any other. Though Siglo XX has become a staple in the Abiego landscape, not every piece by Rückriem has had such a positive reception. Dolomit, Zugeschnitten in Münster created quite a stir. The sculpture is located at St. Peter’s Church along a walkway facing the church itself. The sculpture, which took a year and a half to make, received so many negative remarks that Rückriem offered to remove it. Some in particular called it “an artistic nothing” and claimed it to be an affront to the high quality of the church. The piece was moved in 1981 and after several years was returned to its original location in Münster where it is now owned by the city.

You can find Untitled on South Campus tucked away into a copse of trees on the south side of the Biology Building. It looks unassuming from a distance, but upon further inspection and research, you can understand the meaning and process behind the work.

Interpretations of Untitled  by article authors
Post created by:
Kaitlyn Kelm
Rachel Rothberg
Nick Jenner
Photographs by:
Rachel Rothberg