Stefan Szczesny zum 75. Geburtstag 2026: Soloausstellung „Farbe & Zeichnung im Licht des Südens“

In 2026, the internationally renowned German-French artist Stefan Szczesny will celebrate his 75th birthday with numerous solo and special exhibitions in galleries, as well as at the Musée Salle Jean-Despas in Saint-Tropez in early September. To mark the occasion, the Kunsthalle der LV 1871 in Munich is dedicating a solo exhibition titled “Color & Drawing in the Light of the South” to the Munich-born artist, who lives in Saint-Tropez; the exhibition documents the breadth of his work. After all, his international career began in Munich, and Munich is his home.

Stefan Szczesny, born in Munich to writer Gerhard Szczesny and dramaturge Martha Meuffels, studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich while also pursuing art history, philosophy, and archaeology at the University of Munich. During his studies, Stefan Szczesny worked as an art critic and archaeological draftsman. He was a master student of Günter Fruhtrunk.

As early as 1979, the co-founder of the “Neue Wilde” exhibited at the Lenbachhaus in Munich; in 1984, he showed his works, inspired by Roman antiquity, at the Glyptothek in Munich. After completing his studies, Szczesny first moved to Paris, received the Villa Massimo Fellowship in Rome, and subsequently the Villa Romana Fellowship in Florence. His time in his New York studio in Tribeca was particularly formative. Since the 1980s, he has spent extended periods each year in the Caribbean.

As a co-founder and leading figure of the “Neue Wilde” art movement, Stefan Szczesny played a decisive role in the early 1980s in bringing expressive, figurative painting to the forefront of the art scene. His work is characterized by vibrant colors, expressive forms, and a life-affirming visual language. With his body of work, Szczesny ranks among the most important figures in contemporary painting and sculpture in Europe.

Stefan Szczesny’s artistic range encompasses painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, glass, and large-scale installations. As a versatile artist, he has realized international exhibitions and architectural projects, such as large ceramic walls for the WWF project “The Living Planet” at Expo 2000 in Hanover and the transformation of Mainau Island into a total work of art in 2007.

His current major project, commissioned by “UNESCO #Art4GlobalGoals Stilart,” began at the Ludwig Museum in Koblenz, sailed via the Rhine Harbor in Düsseldorf to UNESCO headquarters in Paris. In 2027, the project will continue as part of the Germany-Netherlands International Horticultural Exhibition with an art sailing regatta from Duisburg to Rotterdam.

He has contributed as an editor to numerous publications on the art of the “Neue Wilde” (New Wild Ones), published by DuMont and other renowned publishers. He also edited the artists’ journal “Malerei – Painting – Peinture,” for which he invited well-known artists to discuss their work.

In 2020, Stefan Szczesny founded the “Szczesny Art Foundation” in Saint-Tropez (for more information: szczesnyartfoundation.com). The nonprofit foundation, which is dedicated to promoting, preserving, and providing scholarly support for his body of work, aims to establish a museum in Saint-Tropez dedicated to his comprehensive life’s work.

Among Stefan Szczesny’s most important exhibitions were retrospectives at the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, the Kunsthalle Mannheim, the Kunsthalle Emden, the Kunsthalle Bremen, and the Kunsthalle Köln; at the Museum Linz; at the Musée Malmaison in Cannes; at the Palais des Papes in Avignon; and at the Kunsthalle für Moderne Kunst in Seville. Countless gallery exhibitions have featured his works in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Zurich, and elsewhere. Many of his works are held in public and private collections.

The Kunstfoyer of the Lebensversicherung von 1871 regularly presents exhibitions open to the public featuring works by renowned artists as well as promising emerging talents. Information: www.kunst-im-foyer.de

Exhibition: September 16, 2026 – End of February 2027

Kunstfoyer of the Lebensversicherung von 1871 a. G., Munich

Maximiliansplatz 5

80333 Munich

Hours: Weekdays, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Further information:

Website: https://www.stefan-szczesny.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/ @stefanszczesny

Social Media

https://www.instagram.com/stefan_szczesny/

https://de.pinterest.com/stefanszczesny/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-szczesny-bba8218b/

https://www.facebook.com/stefan.szczesny/

Press photos of the exhibition works:

Free to use for print, online, and social media:

Stefan Szczesny: Color and Drawing in the Light of the South

Copyright: Stefan Szczesny, unless otherwise noted on the photo.

Press contact:

Annette Zierer  

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Phone: +49-89-356 124-88

Cell: +49-176-23 40 40 40

Email: annette.zierer@zierercom.com