Thomas Bayrle Exhibition 'Fröhlich Sein!' at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

A significant solo exhibition dedicated to Frankfurt artist Thomas Bayrle is currently on view at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. Titled 'Fröhlich Sein!' (Be Happy!), the presentation runs from February 12 through May 10, 2026. The show features around 55 works primarily from the last two decades of Bayrle's career, with additional selections from the 1960s and 1970s. Bayrle, born in 1937, is known for his distinctive 'superforms'—complex, repetitive patterns where small individual elements such as figures, objects, vehicles, and smartphones combine to create larger composite images. These works prefigure digital pixel aesthetics while offering commentary on contemporary society, exploring themes like the relationship between individual and mass, consumption, technology, urban mobility, labor, popular culture, and substitute religious experiences. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, sculptures, object-based works, sound installations, and a video piece. Notable works reinterpret art historical icons by artists including Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Masaccio, and Monet, integrating modern motifs like iPhones, highways, and automobiles. Other pieces incorporate rhythmic elements that merge prayer loops with mechanical components. The exhibition's title reflects Bayrle's optimistic personal motto from his time as a professor at the Städelschule, representing a cheerful outlook alongside incisive social critique. Due to restoration work at Schirn's main building on Römerberg, the exhibition is being held in the former Dondorf printing factory, creating a dialogue with industrial heritage. This comprehensive survey offers a vibrant exploration of Bayrle's dynamic, interconnected vision of an accelerated contemporary world.