A distinctive artistic language and the discovery of subtle differences hidden within seemingly austere compositions – these are the hallmarks of Tomas Rajlich’s work. The artist presents a form of Minimalism rooted in an intense perception of detail, material, colour, and the relationships between individual elements of the image. The exhibition at the Slovak National Gallery offers an opportunity to discover the work of this distinctive artist.
His works have been presented at prestigious art institutions and are represented in numerous major public collections around the world. They can be found, for example, at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and the National Gallery in Prague. It is therefore all the more remarkable that his works can now also be admired at the Slovak National Gallery.
“It is an honour for me that the Slovak National Gallery can introduce Tomas Rajlich’s work to Slovak audiences, presenting a major figure in European Minimalist art. His works have transcended the borders of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, where the artist lived for many years, and have earned recognition on the international art scene. I am all the more delighted that Tomas Rajlich is finally coming to Slovakia,” adds SNG Director General Juraj Králik.
Rajlich’s work emerged from the geometric and spatial beginnings of the late 1960s, associated with the Club of Concretists (Slovak members included, for example, Štefan Belohradský, Alojz Klimo, and Eduard Antal). He gradually developed a rigorous yet exceptionally inventive artistic programme in which the painting becomes a space for exploring surface, format, colour, and texture. His work also came to incorporate materials with a more pronounced colour character, opening up new ways of thinking about the image and the painting process.
Tomas Rajlich (*1940, Jankov) is one of the significant representatives of geometric and Minimalist abstraction. His work emerged from the milieu of the Club of Concretists. In 1969, he emigrated to the Netherlands, where he quickly established himself on the local art scene. His work is characterised by monochromatic surfaces, geometric structures, texture, colour intensity, and painterly gesture, with a focus on the painting itself and its visual qualities. In 1975, he took part in the seminal exhibition Fundamental Painting at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Later, he developed his work through a more intensive engagement with colour, playfulness, and the use of “ready-made” materials. His works are represented in the collections of MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, and the National Gallery in Prague. From 1999 to 2002, he was a guest artist at the Centre Pompidou. Since 2010, he has lived and worked in Prague and in Italy, near Lake Garda.
Exhibition: Tomas Rajlich – Up Close
Venue: SNG, Rázusovo nábrežie, Bratislava / Hall XI
Exhibition dates: 2 October 2026 – 7 February 2027
Curator: Martin Dostál
