Tessa Perutz’s artworks function as psychological landscapes, touring the fields and valleys of the earth as well as the inner mind. Her works are a testimony to spontaneous exploration: pinpointed with anecdotes, hasty jottings and existential ponderings, Perutz’ oeuvre is shaped by processes of conceptualization and intuition, organically intertwining & informing one another. Paintings are echoed in others, mirroring seriality through repeated motifs and evocative use of color.
Encapsulating a mixed materiality, botanicals such as sand, lavender, and hibiscus, are incorporated for healing and transformative properties. Her fully immersive exhibitions include installation and furniture, and through these enveloping environments she explores parallels between nature and humankind, referencing the depths of natural worlds and collective memory through direct sensorial cognition, opening up spaces to consider both personal and universal themes of connection and separation.
In addition to her art practice, Tessa curates Massif Central, a collection of silk scarves by contemporary artists
Contact
Represented by
Baronian, Brussels, Knokke
Works Available by
Ruttkowski;68, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Paris, New York
Education
- BFA in Painting, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, UK
Solo and Two-Person Exhibitions
2024
- Leo, R;68, Cologne, Germany
2023
- How to Map the Infinite, Casino Luxembourg – Forum d’art contemporain, Luxembourg – cur. Stilbé Schroeder
- Watercolors, Super Super Markt, Cologne, Germany
- Solo presentation with Baronian, Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
- Le Rêve Américain, with Nick Atkins, ATM Gallery, New York, NY, USA
2022
- Paradisiaque, Baronian, Knokke, Belgium
- Miroir, Miroir, Taymour Grahne Projects (online), London, UK
2021
- Touch & Go, Avee Gallery, Kortrijk, Belgium
- Tessa Perutz, WC at fiebach, minninger, Cologne, Germany – cur. Luisa Schlotterbeck
2020
- Château de Sable, Baronian Xippas, Brussels, Belgium
- Homme Allongé, Ballon Rouge, Brussels, Belgium
2019
- Jardin du Midi, Marie-Laure Fleisch, Brussels, Belgium
- La Lune Lavande, Stems Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
2018
- Sans Souci, 3-D Foundation, Verbier, Switzerland
- Karma Solaire, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
2017
- Wayfinders, with Jessica Hans, Dayspace, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Bay Pictures, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA
2016
- Staring Into The Sea, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
- Sail Baby, with Jordan Kasey, In Limbo, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2015
- Hashtag Nation, Museum of America Books, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
- In Bloom, Lavender Country Detroit, Detroit, MI, USA – cur. Jeffrey Tranchell
- No Receipt, 393 Broadway, New York, NY, USA – cur. Jack Moore & Ellery Whaley
- Fully Bloomed, Phillips, Los Angeles, CA, USA – cur. Art for Change
- Aesthetic Echoes, PLUS-ONE Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- Group Show, Baronian, Brussels, Belgium
- Pablo’s Cabinet, Pablo’s Birthday, Verbier, Switzerland
- Fantasia, Candid House, London, UK
- FMERA / Ephermeral Universe, 24B Gallery, Paris, France
2023
- Underdonk 10th Anniversary, Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY
- 21st Birthday, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
- Summer in Knokke, Baronian, Knokke, Belgium
- Mixed Pickles 12, Ruttkowski;68, New York, NY, USA
2022
- Stronger Than Language, Romero Paprocki, Paris, France
- The Shop Show 3, Baronian, Brussels, Belgium
- Landscape, Taymour Grahne Projects, London, UK
- Contemporary Curated: Landscape, WOAW Gallery, Hong Kong, China – cur. Taymour Grahne
- L’Art Pour L’Accueil, Hangar Art Center, Brussels, Belgium
- I caught a glimpse of you on the escalator stairs 2, Basis, Frankfurt am Main, Germany – cur. Arthur Löwen
- Blur Me Tender, Romero Paprocki at Rue St-Merri, Musée Pierre Cardin, Paris, France
2021
- Friends & Family, Magenta Plains, New York, NY, USA
- The Shop Show 2, Baronian Xippas, Brussels, Belgium
- Ulterieur 2021, Avee Gallery, Kortrijk, Belgium
- Santé Forever, Chez Michel, Brussels, Belgium – cur. Marlies De Clerck
- TKT, Ruttkowski;68, Paris, France
- Ulterieur 2020/21, Avee Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
- Awakening, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
- Ceramicarpet, Baronian Xippas, Brussels, Belgium
2020
- 100 Drawings From Now, The Drawing Center, New York, NY, USA
- The Shop Show 1, Baronian Xippas, Knokke, Belgium
- Ulterieur 2020, Avee Gallery, Kortrijk, Belgium
- The Great Pause, 3-D Foundation, Verbier, Switzerland
2019
- Group Show at Grand Buffet & Pulver’s Glass, Baba Yaga Gallery, Hudson, NY, USA – cur. Scott Keightley
- A Meeting with Erna Schilling, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
- Benefit For Museum Dhondt Dhaenens, Ghent, Belgium
- Highway Blues, Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY, USA – cur. JJ Manford
- Imagined Realities, Marie-Laure Fleisch, Brussels, Belgium
- Set For The Sun, Lobe Block, Berlin, Germany – cur. Jenne Grabowski
- Clear Objects, Like Lalique, Ventanas Techo, Mexico City, Mexico – cur. Nick Farhi
- Salon de Peinture, Museum of Contemporary Art Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Looking At The World Through Rose Coloured Glasses, Sofie Van de Velde & PLUS-ONE Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
2018
- Underdonk Selects, Underdonk, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Sorry We Weren’t Here to Meet You, We Were Out Exploring, Usagi, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Eddy’s Room, Usable Space, Milwaukee, WI, USA – cur. Austin Eddy
- Superposition, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY, USA – cur. Johnny Abrahams
- Shapeshifters, Guerrero Gallery, San Francisco, CA, USA – cur. Brian Willmont
- Group Show, Milk Studios, New York, NY, USA – cur. Lucien Smith
2017
- Everything is Going to Be Alright, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI, USA
- From out under, Appointment Only, Los Angeles, CA, USA – cur. Matthew Brown & Lucien Smith
- Parting and Together, Greenpoint Hill, Brooklyn, NY, USA – cur. Trudy Benson
- Somewhere, Atlanta Contemporary, Atlanta, GA, USA – cur. Gallery 106 Green
- The Paperweight Show, Fisher Parrish Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- BAM Gala and Auction, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Post-Election, September Gallery, Hudson, NY, USA
2016
- The River, Hionas Gallery, New York, NY, USA
- Bosco, ROE Projects, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- The Congregation, Jack Hanley Gallery, New York, NY, USA – cur. Joshua Abelow
- Whisper to me in HTML, with Imogen Lloyd and art404, Prelim Projects, London, UK
- Gefa & Taka, Sim House, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Presenting, In Limbo, Brooklyn, USA
2015
- The Year of the Goose, Either Way, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Change of Address, 139 Emerson Place, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- Naked Runaway, Middle Collegiate Church, New York, NY, USA – cur. Xi Garden
- Strangers Forming a Group Waiting to Kiss, Motel, Brooklyn, NY, USA
- 99 Cent Plus Art Shop II, 99 Cent Plus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2011
- An Exchange with Sol Lewitt, Mass MoCA, North Adams, MA, USA
- 7 x 11, Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
- Postcards from the Edge, CRG Gallery, New York, NY, USA
- Three Men and a Baby, with Coleen Self, Impala Studios, Chicago, IL, USA
2010
- Spill, Betty Rymer Gallery, School of The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- 100 European Starlings, DePaul Art Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
- Women’s Bodies as Public Spaces, North Park University, Chicago, IL, USA
- Slade School at Swiss Cottage, Swiss Cottage, London
Residencies & Awards
2023
- 3-D Foundation, Verbier, Switzerland
2022
- Fondation CAB, Saint-Paul de Vence, France
- Visiting Artist Lecture, Otis College of Art & Design, Los Angeles, CA, USA
2019
- The Macedonia Institute, Chatham, New York, NY, USA
2018
- 3-D Foundation, Verbier, Switzerland
- SÍM, Berlin, Germany
2017
- Herhusid, Siglufjordur, Iceland
- Minnesota Street Project, San Francisco
2016
- SÍM, Reykjavik, Iceland
2011
- School of the Art Institute of Chicago Merit Scholarship
Curatorial
Ongoing
Founder of Massif Central, artist scarf editions, with exhibitions at: Gagosian Gallery, New York, NY and London, UK; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, NY; NADA Art Fair 2016 and 2017, New York, NY; Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Detroit, MI; Sincerely, Tommy, Brooklyn, NY; Sculpture Center, Queens, NY; Le Huit, Paris, France; Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL; Nationale, Portland, OR; Spreadhouse, New York, NY
2021
- TKT, Ruttkowski;68, Paris, France
2018
- Set Adrift on Memory Bliss, Pablo’s Birthday, New York, NY, USA
2015
- Yin Yang, 99 Cent Plus, Brooklyn, NY, USA
2010
- Help Art Heal Haiti, benefit for Haitian Earthquake Relief, Evanston, IL, USA
2009
- Cadaver Corpse, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Cadaver Corpse, Golden Age, Chicago, IL, USA
Published
2020
- Drawings feature, The Drawer, online and in-print
2018
- Artist feature, Maake Magazine, curated by Holly Coulis
2016
- Plein Air Drawings, Issue One, artmagazine.us
2015
- New York Studios, Issue 68, Packet Biweekly
- the onesheet, foldout interview and poster
2011
- Exhumed Book One, drawings feature
Collections
- Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Fondation CAB, Brussels, Belgium
Bibliography
2024
- Dan Duray, “Five Pieces to Not to Miss at EXPO Chicago 2024“, Observer
2023
- Marianne Brausch, “Y’a d’la joie!“, D’Lëtzebueger Land
- Jérôme Quiqueret, “Quand les extrêmes se rejoignent“, Tageblatt Luxembourg
- Grégory Cimatti, “La saturation, du sol au plafond !“, Le Quotidien Luxembourg
- Emilie Rolin Jacquemyns, “Tessa Perutz ou la vision d’une jeune étrangère en Europe“, Luxemburger Wort
- Sarah Schug, artist feature, Brussels Art Guide 2024
2022
- “Tessa Perutz reactiveert landscapsschilderkunst“, Collect Magazine
2020
- Roger-Pierre Turine, “Chateau de Sable”, La Libre
- Caroline Goldstein, “Chicago-Born Tessa Perutz Paints People as if they were Lush Landscapes”, Artnet
- Sam Steverlynck, “7 Critic’s Picks for Brussels Gallery Weekend”, Hart Magazine
2019
- Ceil Miller Bouchet, “Brussels Emerges at Europe’s Epicenter of Contemporary Art”, The Washington Post
- Sam Steverlynck, “Tessa Perutz at MLF Gallery”, HART Magazine
- Gwennaelle Gribaumont, “Sentir et Ressentir”, La Libre
- M.V., “Quatuor Qui S’Accorde”, Le Vif Weekend
- “The Bright Side of Brussels”, Ace & Tate Journal
- Scott Indrisek, “6 Keys to a Good Artist-Gallerist Relationship”, Artsy
2018
- Laura Pitcher, “How to Collect Emerging Artists with Lolita Cros”, i-D Magazine
- “18 standout looks from Expo Chicago”, Chicago Tribune
- Alex Garner, “Tessa Perutz”, Artforum
- Sasha Bogojev, “Tessa Perutz: Karma Solaire at Pablo’s Birthday”, Juxtapoz Magazine
2017
- “Cody Hudson and Tessa Perutz Make Beautiful Abstractions”, Juxtapoz Magazine
- “Tessa Perutz”, Milk Magazine
2016
- Yacine Fall, “30 Under 30”, Art Zealous
- Scott Indrisek, “Complex Simplicities: Tessa Perutz”, Modern Painters
- Scott Indrisek, “Discoveries (and Steals) at NADA New York 2016”, Blouin ArtInfo
- “Prelim Projects 01: Whisper to me in HTML”, thisistomorrow
- Grace Linden, “Whisper to me in HTML at Prelim Projects”, Temporary Art Review
2015
- David Wilfert, “The Art of The Scarf”, World’s Best Ever
2010
- “Steal Her Style”, TimeOut Chicago
- Bill Smith, “Art Auction for Haiti”, Evanston Now
2009
- “Cadaver Corpse at Space 1026”, Art in the Age
- “Pieces by Parcel”, Chicago Weekly
- “First Friday Focus Feature”, Philadelphia City Paper