Galerie Michael Haas in Berlin is presenting "André Thomkins: Lackskins," a focused exhibition on the Swiss artist's experimental technique developed in the 1950s. Thomkins (1930–1985) created these works by dripping varnish onto water and transferring the floating pigment to paper, a process blending controlled manipulation with chance. The show, running through March 6, 2026, highlights a body of work rediscovered only in the last 15 years, including pieces like "Astronauten" (1962).
The exhibition matters because it brings renewed attention to a lesser-known but highly innovative aspect of Thomkins's practice, which drew on Surrealism and Dadaism and reflects his broader intellectual curiosity in philosophy, literature, and parapsychology. By spotlighting the Lackskins, the show underscores the artist's commitment to unbounded experimentation and offers insight into a technique that bridges drawing, painting, and printmaking, contributing to the ongoing reassessment of mid-20th-century European avant-garde art.