Tim Eitel's paintings combine geometric abstraction and photo-based realism. The atmosphere suggested by these works is mysterious and strangely still.

Eitel creates works that are art historically informed and stylistically sophisticated, yet extremely accessible. Eitel's technical command of the craft of painting is impressive, as are his visual references to film, photography, and modern painting. The legacy of Gerhard Richter's photorealist work is discernible in Eitel's paintings, as is Richard Diebenkorn's use of the human figure in abstracted spaces. Eitel himself counts Caspar David Friedrich, Edouard Manet, Barnett Newman, Jeff Wall, and Thomas Demand among his influences. A number of Eitel's paintings show museum visitors in the act of viewing art; and in many cases the paintings depicted in these scenes have been invented by the artist. Whether Eitel's figures are shown in architectural interiors or in landscapes, the backgrounds are often rendered as abstract, theatrical backdrops. The figures are often still, frozen in a quiet moment of waiting or contemplation.

Tim Eitel was born in Leonberg, Germany. He currently lives and works in Berlin. Eitel studied philosophy at the University of Stuttgart, fine arts at the Burg Giebichtenstein in Halle, and painting at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig. He has had solo exhibitions at Kunstverein Göttingen and Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin. His work has been included in group shows at MASS MoCA, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Rubell Family Collection in Miami, and the Museum der Bildenden Künste in Leipzig. Eitel is represented by Galerie EIGEN + ART, Berlin.

Tim Eitel discusses his work on Thursday, December 8, at 7:00 pm in the Museum Auditorium. An exhibition preview follows the lecture.

Currents 96: Tim Eitel is curated by Robin Clark, associate curator of contemporary art, and is on view in Gallery 337 from December 9, 2005, until March 5, 2006. It is part of a series of exhibitions featuring the work of contemporary artists.