The Printer’s Proof exhibition, organised by the Michel Majerus Estate together with BIL, will give the public the opportunity to discover the series of the same name, composed of 80 sepia drawings. Produced in 1998, they are unique among Michel Majerus’ work. A special installation has been built in the central space of the Galerie L’Indépendance to display these pieces. This central display is ringed by the second portion of the exhibition, in which visitors can admire other, larger pieces by Michel Majerus that mirror the visual vocabulary used in Printer’s Proof.

Born in 1967 in Esch-sur-Alzette, Michel Majerus was one of his generation’s most influential contemporary artists. After studying at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Stuttgart between 1986 and 1992, he settled in Berlin, where he quickly earned international acclaim. The artist’s promising career was tragically cut short in a fatal airplane crash in 2002.

Typical of Majerus’ work is that he pushes the boundaries of his chosen medium, bringing his paintings off the walls and into the room. His pieces characteristically combine imagery from a wide variety of sources, including art history references, slogans and visual elements from advertising and pop culture. Today, the work of Michel Majerus features in some of the world’s most important art collections, such as the MoMA in New York, but also in Luxembourg, where his art is displayed in the collections of the Mudam and the National Museum of History and Art.

“We are proud to present to the Luxembourg public never-before shown pieces by Michel Majerus. This exclusive exhibition is a wonderful way to end this year of celebrations marking BIL’s 160th anniversary. Throughout the year, we have strived to place an emphasis on supporting the arts, because promoting culture and artistic endeavour is at the heart of our social commitment,” said Hugues Delcourt, CEO of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg.

This prestigious Michel Majerus exhibition is the culmination of a particularly rich artistic programme in 2016. At the beginning of the year, the Galerie L’Indépendance displayed pieces by Luxembourg artist Armand Strainchamps. A polyptych of 16 paintings specially created by the artist for the bank’s 160th anniversary symbolised the bank’s economic, social and cultural commitment in the country. It was followed in the middle of the year by the second edition of Art2Cure, a joint exhibition bringing together 28 Luxembourg and foreign artists, which raised almost EUR 60,000 to finance research on Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. The Galerie L’Indépendance has featured the work of leading national and international artists for more than 30 years.

The Michel Majerus exhibition Printer’s Proof is open to the public on business days from 28 October 2016 until 10 February 2017 (from 9am to 6pm).

Galerie L’Indépendance, 69, route d'Esch, L-2953 Luxembourg