Tomas Rajlich (1940) studied at the School of Decorative Arts and the Fine Art Academy of Prague. In 1967 he founded the group Klub Konkretistů, which was orientated towards the international neo-avantgardes represented by Azimut in Italy, ZERO in Germany and Nul in the Netherlands. In 1968 his work was first presented on the international scene when he participated in the exhibition Sculpture Tchécoslovaque in the Musée Rodin in Paris.
He went into exile from Czechoslovakia in 1969 after the Soviet invasion and moved to Netherlands, where he became a teacher at the Vrije Academie in The Hague. Rajlich’s interest in the construction of monochrome works on geometrically regular grids was immediately viewed favourably in the climate of Dutch conceptualism.
He held fundamental solo exhibitions in 1974 in the Yvon Lambert gallery in Paris, Art & Project in Amsterdam, and Françoise Lambert in Milan, which were his key galleries for many years. In 1975 he featured with Brice Marden, Robert Ryman, Gerhard Richter and others in the memorable exhibition Fundamentele schilderkunst: Fundamental painting in the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. It was a milestone in the international recognition of analytical painting.
In the following years Rajlich was invited to show his work in such fundamental exhibitions as Elementaire Vormen (travelling exhibition, 1975), Fractures du Monochrome aujourd’hui en Europe (Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 1978) and Bilder ohne Bilder (Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn, 1978).
His work soon moved towards the recovery of a full colour dimension open to symbolic and poetic suggestions, more open gestures and an irrational vitalism when he admitted a spectrum ranging from gold to pink, from pale blue to yellow and even red, without altering the process of rigorous elementary structuration of monochrome.
His first retrospective was held in Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia in 1993. His adoptive country, the Netherlands, honoured Rajlich with the prestigious Ouborg Award for his artistic contribution in 1994. On that occasion the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague inaugurated a second retrospective. Ten years later, in 2005, the same museum marked his sixty-fifth birthday with a retrospective of his works on paper.
In Czech Republic, the Dům umění města Brna organised an anthological exhibition in 1998, while in 2008 the National Gallery of Prague opened a retrospective with 27 large canvases, followed by a one-man show in the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague in 2016, Museum Kampa in Prague in 2017, and Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen in Rotterdam in 2018.
Rajlich is rightly recognised as one of the leading figures of the international neo-avantgarde.
From 1999 to 2002 he was artist in residence at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, whose collection includes works by him. His works are also held by the Centraal Museum, Utrecht, the Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, Saint Étienne, the Musée Cantini, Marseille, Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the National Gallery, Prague, the Peter Stuyvesant Foundation, Amsterdam, the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the S.M.A.K., Ghent, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, the Stedelijk Museum De Lakenhal, Leiden, and the Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft.
Selected Solo Shows
2023
Tomas Rajlich | Fundamental Painting, Borzo Gallery, Amsterdam
Tomas Rajlich. Golden Times, ABC-ARTE Gallery, Genoa
Tomas Rajlich. Golden Times, ABC-ARTE ONE OF, Milan
2021
MAKE IT NEW! Tomas Rajlich e l’arte astratta in Italia, Museo
di Arte Contemporanea Villa Croce, Genoa [Catalogue]
2020
Black paintings: 1976-79, ABC-ARTE Gallery, Genoa [Catalogue]
2018
Tomas Rajlich Fifty years of Painting, curated by Flaminio Gualdoni, ABC-ARTE, Genova, IT.
Tomas Rajlich, Museum Boijamans Van Beuingen, Rotterdam, NL.
2017
Tomas Rajlich, Museum Kampa, Praha, CZ.
2016 - 2017
Tomas Rajlich - Structures in paint, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, NL.
Tomas Rajlich: Ab Imis, MAC - Museo d’Arte Contemporanea, Lissone(MB), IT.
2015
Tomas Rajlich, Galerie Závodný, Mikulov, CZ.
2014
Around Zero, Padiglione delle Arti, Marcon (Venezia), IT.
2010
Fabbri CA, Milan, IT.
Museo Michetti, Francavilla al Mare(CH), IT.
Museo Cascina Roma, San Donato / Milan, IT.
2009
Kunstruimte 09, Groningen, NL.
Le superfici opache della pittura analitica, Fondazione Zappettini, Chiavari, IT.
2008
Heden, Den Haag, NL.
Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag, NL.
Národní Galerie, Praha (retrospective)- 27 paintings from 1968 to 2008, CZ.
2007
Fondazione Zappettini, Milan, IT.
2006
Galerie Der Spiegel, Köln, D.
2005
Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag, NL.
Dům umění, České Budějovice, CZ.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag (retrospective of drawings), NL.
Kunstruimte 09, Groningen, NL.
2003
Jiri Svestka Gallery, Praha, CZ.
2000
Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag, NL.
1998
Dům umění, Brno (retrospective), CZ.
1997
Galerie Zámek, Klenová (retrospective of drawings), CZ.
1996
Galerie Minnen, Antwerpen, B.
Staatliche Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, GER.
1995
Link, Contemporary Art Company, Den Haag, NL.
1994
Centro d'Arte Santelmo, Salo, IT.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag (retrospective), NL.
1993
Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia (retrospective), IT.
1991
Artline, Den Haag, NL.
1990
Galerie Im Winter, Bremen, D.
1988
Studio La Citta, Verona, IT.
HCAK, Den Haag, NL.
1987
Aele, Madrid, E.
Shinseido Hatanaka Gallery, Tokyo, Jap.
1986
Galerie Im Winter, Bremen, D.
1985
Artline, Den Haag, NL.
1983
Art & Project, Amsterdam, NL.
1982
Artline, Den Haag, NL.
1980
Artline, Den Haag, NL.
1979
Galleria Peccolo, Livorno, IT.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, NL.
Art & Project, Amsterdam, NL.
1978
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, NL.
Centraal Museum, Utrecht, NL.
1977
Art & Project, Amsterdam, NL.
1976
Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, NL.
Yvon Lambert, Paris, Fr.
1975
Westfalischer Kunstverein, Münster, D.
Groninger Museum, Groningen, D.
Art & Project, Amsterdam, NL.
1974
Yvon Lambert, Paris, FR.
Seriaal, Amsterdam, NL.
Art & Project, Amsterdam, NL.
Françoise Lambert, Milan, IT.
1973
Museum Bochum, Bochum, D.
1972
Collection d'Art, Amsterdam, NL.
1971
Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam, NL.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag, NL.
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022
Van Oerbeest tot rokende croissant, Stedelijk Museum Shiedam, NL
Griffa – Rajlich, QG Gallery, Knokke, Belgium, B
2020
Where the unmeasurable meets the measurable, A. Bee, P., Iacchetti, T. Rajlich, N. Valentini, ABC-ARTE, Genova, IT
2019
Absolute Painting, G. Griffa, T. Rajlich, J. Zeniuk, ABC-ARTE, Genova, IT
2018
Pocta Zlatè – Bernard Aubertin, Jan Henderikse, Tomas Rajlich, Galerie Petr Zaloudek,Praha, CZ.
Uit de collectie van Flip Bool en Veronica Hekking, Stichting, NL. Ruimtevaart, Den Haag, NL.
2017
Lucio Fontana e l’annulamento della pittura dal gruppo zero all’arte analitica, Palazzo Salmatoris, Cherasco (CN), IT.
WhiteArt, Galerie Petr Žaloudek, Praha, CZ.
2016
Stilte is als ademhalen, Museum Kranenburgh, Bergen (Netherlands), De Iceuze Van Soost Zwagerman.
2015
Atmosfera ZERO - Great Expectations, Cortesi Gallery, London, GB.
2014
SKY! - in Dutch Art since 1850, De Hallen / Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem,NL.
Around Zero, Padiglione delle Arti, Marcon (Ve), IT.
Pittura come pittura, l'Arte Analitica degli anni '70, Padiglione delle Arti, Marcon (Ve), IT.
2013
Visioni, Arte programmata e cinetica, Galleria Nuovo Spazio, Udine, IT.
2012
Minimal Myth. Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam,NL.
2009
Pensare Pittura: Una Linea Internazionale di Ricerca negli Anni Settanta. Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce, Genoa, IT.
Le superfici opache della Pittura Analitica, Fondazione Zappettini, Chiavari (Ge), IT.
2008
Analytica, Annotazioni d’Arte, Milan,IT.
2007
Playground, Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag,NL.
Doors to thought, Galleria delle Battaglie, Brescia, IT.
2006
3m unter Null, Städtische Galerie im Buntentor, Bremen, D.
De Schwitters a Toguo, MNAM / Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, F.
2005
Abstracte Salon, Kunstruimte, Groningen, D.
2004
Pittura 70: Pittura Pittura e Astrazione Analitica, Fondazione Zappettini, Chiavari, IT.
Wege zur Abstraktion III: Farbfilm, Kunstverein Schloss Plön, Schloss Plön, D.
2002
Recent Acquisitions, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam,NL.
Een anatomische droom, Stroom, Den Haag,NL.
2000
Pleidooi voor intuitie, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
Suoni della superficie, Galleria comunale d’arte contemporanea Ai Molini, Portogruaro; Fondaco delle Biade, Feltre, IT.
1999
Bleistiftzeichnungen II, Galerie der Spiegel, Köln, D.
Nineteen-ninety-nine, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
Rasters, Galerie Ramakers, Den Haag,NL.
1998
Schaakmat, Galerie Nouvelles Images, Den Haag,NL.
Chiaro e oltre, Centro d’arte Santelmo, Salo, IT.
1997
In gesprek met Vermeer, Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft,NL.
Konkrete Kunst & Cinétisme & Op Art, Galerie der Spiegel, Köln, D.
Arte a Contatto e Borderer, Galleria Peccolo, Livorno, IT.
1996
Aspekte Niederländischer Kunst heute, Städtische Galerie, Lüdenscheid, D.
1995
Indizi terresti, Palazzo Ducale, Mantova, IT.
1993
Abstrakt, Der Deutsche Künstlerbund, Dresden, D.
1992
22 jaar verzamelen, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, D.
En Suite, HCAK, Den Haag,NL.
1991
Art Works, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam,NL.
1989
Verzameling aan zee II, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
Fundamentale Malerei, Kunstverein, Arnsberg, D.
1988
Verzameling aan zee, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
Op het eerste gezicht, Noordbrabants Museum, 's-Hertogenbosch; Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft,NL.
1987
Fundamental Painting, Galerie Schuppenhauer, Koln, D.
Fundamental Painting, ArtLine, Den Haag, NL.
Fundamental Painting, Galleria Piccolo, Livorno, IT.
Kunst van de 20ste eeuw, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, D.
Spiel der Überraschungen, Städtische Galerie, Bocholt, D.
Zesmaal schilderen, Culturele Raad, Vlissingen,NL.
1986
Het oog op Den Haag, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
L'art dans l'usine, Institut Néerlandais, Paris, F.
Aspecten van het Tekenen, Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam,NL.
1985
Signalen van Buiten, Museum De Beyerd, Breda,NL.
1984
Het Beschrijven van Kwaliteit, HCAK, Den Haag,NL.
1983
Von der Ungleichheit des Ähnlichen in der Kunst, Städtisches Museum, Gelsenkirchen; Städtische Galerie, Lüdenscheid; Kunstverein, Unna,D.
1981
Peter Stuyvesant Collectie, Provinciaal Museum, Hasselt, B.
1980
Haagse Ateliers, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
1979
Kollektie Degroot, Groeningen Museum, Groeninger, D.
Unga Hollandare, Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, S.
Elementaire Vormen, St. Pietersabdij, Gent,NL.
1978
Fracture du Monochrome aujourd'hui en Europe, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, F.
Bilder ohne Bilder, Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, D.
1977
Trois Villes - Trois Collections, Musée d'Art et d'lndustrie, Saint-Étienne; Musée Cantini, Marseille; Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, F.
Elementaire Vormen, Midland Group Gallery, Nottingham, GB.
Kunst van na 1945, Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag,NL.
1976
Betreffende het Schilderen, Museum Bommel-Van Dam, Venlo; Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam; Museum voor Hedendaagse Kunst, Utrecht,NL.
Elementaire Vormen, Musée d'Art et d'lndustrie, Saint-Étienne; Louisiana Museum, Humlebaek; Niels Onstads Stiftelser, Oslo; Groninger Museum, Groningen, D.
Muzeum Sztuki, Lodz; Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, IT
I colori della pittura, Istituto Italo-Latino Americano, Roma, IT.
1975
Fundamentele Schilderkunst, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam,NL.
Tekenwerk van 10 Nederlandse Kunstenaars, CIC, Gent,NL.
Elementaire Vormen, Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn; Saarlandmuseum, Saarbücken; Kunsthalle, Nürnberg, D.
1973
VIII. Biennale de Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, F.
Lof der Tekenkunst, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven,NL.
1971
Werken van Tsjechoslowaakse Grafici, Centraal Museum, Utrecht, NL.
1970
Artisti contemporanei di Praga, Palazzo dei Principi, Bologna, IT.
1969
Junge Künstler aus der Tschechoslowakei, Berlin, D.
1968
Klub konkretistů, Stuttgart, Jihlava, Olomouc, Karlovy Vary,NL.
Sculpture tchécoslovaque, Musée Rodin, Paris, F.
1967
Nová jména, Špálova galerie, Praha,NL.
Selected Public Collections
Centraal Museum, Utrecht
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag
Musée d’Art et d’Industrie, Saint Étienne
Musée Cantini, Marseille
Musée de Grenoble, Grenoble
Museum Boijmans-Van Beuningen, Rotterdam
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Národní Galerie, Praha
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa
Peter Stuyvesant Foundation, Amsterdam
S.M.A.K., Gent
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
Stedelijk Museum, Schiedam
Stedelijk Museum De Lakhal, Leiden
Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft
Selected Bibliography
ARKESTEIJN Roel. Tomas Rajlich: A Retrospective in six paintings.
Heden, Den Haag 2008.
BLOK Cor (ed.). Nederlandse kunst: vanaf 1900.
TELEAC, Utrecht 1994.
BLOTKAMP Carel. “Tomas Rajlich” in Bulletin.
Galerie Collection d'Art, Amsterdam 1972.
BLOTKAMP Carel. Lof der Tekenkunst.
Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven 1973.
BLOTKAMP Carel & HAKS Frans et al. Kunst van nu: Encyclopedisch overzicht vanaf 1960.
Elsevier, Amsterdam 1995.
BONOMI Giorgio. Tomas Rajlich: La monocromia anche.
Fondazione Zappettini, Milano 2007.
BOOL Flip. “Tussen tekenen en schilderen” in Het oog op Den Haag: actuele Haagse beeldende kunst.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 1986.
BOOL Flip. Tomas Rajlich.
Galleria Peccolo, Livorno 1987.
BOOL Flip. En Suite.
HCAK, Den Haag 1992.
BROOS Kees. Tomas Rajlich.
Groninger Museum, Groningen 1975.
BROOS Kees. “Tomas Rajlich” in Elementary Forms.
Ministerie van CRM, Den Haag 1975.
BROOS Kees. Tomas Rajlich.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 1978.
BROŽEK Libuše. “Tomas Rajlich” in Bulletin.
Centraal Museum, Utrecht 1978.
COLLOVINI Diego. Suoni della superficie.
Villotta & Bergamo, Portogruaro 2001.
DE BOER Cees. Aspekte Niederländischer Kunst heute.
Städtische Galerie, Lüdenscheid 1996.
DIPPEL Rini. Fundamentele Schilderkunst.
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam 1975.
DOSTAL, Martin. An Entirely Abstract Perspective. Museum Kampa, Praha, 2017.
GUALDONI Flaminio & PETERS Philip. Tomas Rajlich: opere 1969 -1993.
Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia 1993.
HONNEF Klaus. Jaap Berghius, Tomas Rajlich & Martin Rous.
Westfalischer Kunstverein, Münster 1975.
IMANSE Geurt (ed.). De Nederlandse Identiteit in de Kunst na 1945.
Meulenhoff, Amsterdam 1984.
LAGEIRA Jacinto. Tomas Rajlich: Nacre et Paillette.
Dům umění, České Budějovice 2005.
LAMARCHE-VADEL Bernard & MENNA Filliberto. Fracture du Monochrome aujourd'hui en Europe.
ARC Paris / Musée d'Art Moderne de la?Ville de Paris, Paris 1978.
LOCHER Hans. Tomas Rajlich.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 1971.
LOCHER Hans. Tomas Rajlich.
Haags Gemeentemuseum, Den Haag 1979.
MUSSA Italo. / colori della pittura: una situazione europea.
Istituto Italo-Latino Americano, Roma 1976.
OLIVA Achille Bonito. Europe-America: The Different Avant-Gardes.
Deco Press, Milano 1976.
PAALMAN Hans. Tomas Rajlich.
Schiedams Museum, Schiedam 1971.
PEGORARO Silvia. Toccare con gli occhi e con la mente: la pittura di Tomas Rajlich.
Fabbri CA, Milano 2010.
PEGORARO Silvia & ZANCHETTA Alberto. Toccare la Luce: la pittura di Tomas Rajlich.
Museo Michetti, Francavilla al Mare (CH) 2010.
PETERS Philip. “Kunst van Tomas Rajlich: tasten en zoeken, tobben en afzien”in De Tijd (15/10/1982).
PETERS Philip. “De eeuwige ruimte: het goud van Tomas Rajlich”
in Museumjournaal 6 (1986).
PETERS Philip. “The Metaphysical Monochrome or the Perfect Painting?”
in Kunst en Museumjournaal 4/5 (1993).
PETERS Philip et al. Tomas Rajlich: Kresby 1965-1976.
Galerie Zámek Klenová, Klatovy 1997.
REISING Gert. Farbe, Felder, Philosophie: Ein ästhetischer Dialog.
Chorus, Mainz 2000.
REISING Gert. Tomas Rajlich: Recent Paintings.
Jiri Svestka Gallery, Praha 2003.
RUYTERS Domenik. Tomas Rajlich: Ouborg Prijs 1994.
Stroom HCBK, Den Haag 1994.
RUYTERS Domenik. “Sensibele Strukturen”
in NIKE, New Art in Europe 54.
SOLIMANO Sandra et al. Pensare Pittura: Una Linea Internazionale di Ricerca negli Anni Settanta.
Silvana Editoriale, Milano 2009.
Tomas Rajlich, "Toccare la luce"
incl. an interview with the artist on ArteTV, 25 September 2011.
VALOCH Jiří. Tomas Rajlich.
Dům umění, Brno 1998.
VISSER Ad de. De Tweede Helft (Kunst na 1945).
SUN, Nijmegen 1998.
ZANCHETTA Alberto. Tomas Rajlich: L’inesorabile divenire.
Massetti Rodella Editori, Brescia 2008.