From church painter to Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Large-format, luminous watercolors of cityscapes are the trademark of René Du Belle. Achtzig Galerie Berlin has long included watercolors in its program and showcased his works in a group exhibition in 2019.
The Essentials in Brief
- René Du Belle trained as a church painter and studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf.
- He paints expressive large-format watercolors, such as those of Berlin landmarks.
- His murals can be found in Berlin and Mallorca, among other places.
- In March 2019, Achtzig Galerie featured him in "International Cityscapes".
After high school, René Du Belle completed a three-year apprenticeship as a church painter. After military service, he studied graphic design, typography, and illustration at FH Köln, the former Cologne Werkschulen, and graduated as a diploma graphic designer. He then studied painting and art history at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Gerhard Hoehme and Erich Reusch.
He was influenced by the free watercolor painting of Joseph Beuys, the portraits of Georg Baselitz, the action painting of Jackson Pollock, and the intense colors of Paul Klee and Emil Nolde.
Philosophy, School and Monument Preservation
In Berlin, he increasingly turned to Expressionism. In parallel, he studied philosophy at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and completed art and philosophy with the state examination. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation supported his studies with a scholarship.
After several years as a teacher at a high school, he founded a company for monument preservation and restored listed historic buildings. For the restoration of the ceiling in the Künstlerbahnhof Rolandseck on the Rhine, he received a commendation from the Ministry of Culture of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Wall paintings and awards
In Mallorca, René Du Belle designed the wellness and spa areas of two five-star hotels, the Mardavall and the Son Amoixa Vell. For this, he received the Gala Award twice for the most beautiful wellness areas in Europe.
In Berlin, his murals can be found in the Stilwerk and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Before the 2019 exhibition, he last exhibited at "Art & Champagne" on Kurfürstendamm.
"International Cityscapes" at the Achtzig Galerie
In March 2019, the Achtzig Galerie in Hagenauer Straße 7 in Prenzlauer Berg showcased the group exhibition "International Cityscapes," opened with a vernissage on March 15. On display were portraits, oil and acrylic paintings, watercolors, drawings, paper works, photographs, and sculptures by:
Keyn, René Du Belle, Lausch, Pfürtner, Fronhofer, Gaspers, Harsa, Heike Huismann (UdK), Jost Heyder (Neue Leipziger Schule), Emilia Blauzweig (UdK), Kathleen van Sterge (UdK), Ashley Grik (UdK), Anton Van De Amoste (UdK), Diana Achtzig (UdK) and Per Cbelli (University of Bordeaux, Sorbonne Paris, UdK Berlin).
Buying Art: Tips for Beginners
Original watercolors are often cheaper than large oil paintings and therefore a popular entry into collecting. However, art is not a secure investment: whether a work increases in value cannot be predicted. Therefore, buy what you like, ask for details about the work and its origin, and seek independent advice for larger sums. You can read more about the gallery in the article Kunstgalerie Berlin Achtzig for Contemporary Art.