Eberhard Havekost

The turquoise hoodie is reminiscent of a scoop of fruit ice cream. As hinted at in the title, the Jacke (jacket) seems to have relinquished its functionality as a garment and looks like a colour study on shades of brown and black, while the Schnee (snow) could also be a meringue sprinkled with cinnamon and bits of raspberry. Eberhard Havekost challenges the viewer to reflect on the subjectivity of visual perception, be it in his photographs (as here) or in his paintings. The dominance of the personally shaped, associatively connoting gaze is a central theme of his work, as is the relationship between subject and object, and between man, nature and the world of things.

Eberhard Havekost studied painting at Dresden University of Fine Arts, where he became a master student of Ralf Kerbach in 1997. His works can be found in private and institutional collections at e.g. MoMA, New York; Tate Modern London; Städel Museum Frankfurt; and Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. In 2010, the Düsseldorf Art Academy appointed him professor of painting.

Eberhard Havekost (born 1967 in Dresden) died in 2019 in Berlin.