Peter Dreher
1980
About the object
Peter Dreher painted the silver bowl he found at a flea market more than 200 times in total. The bowl, which resembles a trophy due to its silver sheen, contrasts starkly with the aspect of sober repetition. According to Dreher, the repetition that characterises his work expresses a protest against the idea of having to find or invent something new to paint.
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Discovered during a prolonged stay in New York in 1980, Dreher found the silver bowl at a flea market and used it briefly as motif for a painting. Upon his return, he applied himself to other subjects. He finally revived the motif a full thirty years later and created a series of paintings that now comprises over 200 works. The silver bowl, with its sumptuous reflections and splendour, is the counterpart to the restrained, matter-of-fact study of a glass of water that Dreher has repeatedly painted since the 1970s. Both motifs seem to reside at the opposite ends of a spectrum of vessel types, ranging from transparent and simple to reflective and playful. However, if they are juxtaposed, they articulate a language of their own: they tell of the intrinsic pleasure to be gained from painting and of the variety to be found in the delimitation of subject matter.