On the occasion of Gallery Weekend Berlin, Galerie Friese is opening the exhibition “Leise Ähnlichkeit (Quiet Similarity),” dedicated to artists Dieter Krieg (1937–2005), William N. Copley (1919–1996), and Peter Dreher (1932–2020). The exhibition centers on Dieter Krieg’s work, which, with intense painterly energy, engages continuously with literature, fine art, everyday life, and themes of life and death. An avid reader, Krieg’s painting is shaped by his affinity for 20th-century literature, including Sartre, Beckett, Schmidt, Flaubert, Musil, and Jelinek, among others.

Klaus Gallwitz notes: “If asked whether there is a conceptual painter today—beyond the fact that painting always involves concepts—I would attribute this distinction to him, as his complex thoughts and vast literary and philosophical background never stand above or behind the paintings but always permeate them. He could rely on his reserves.” The Küppersmühle Museum in Duisburg is hosting a major solo exhibition of Krieg’s work, featuring over 70 canvases, titled Painters, Thieves, and Rabble, until August 24.

The works of William N. Copley and Peter Dreher are also marked by a deep engagement with the everyday and a quest to uncover its significance. Peter Dreher’s almost monastic, repetitive paintings of glasses, keys, and the sky contrast with Copley’s sensually unrestrained depictions of people and their environments, capturing their depths and joys. The exhibition runs until June 28, 2025.

Leise Ähnlichkeit: Dieter Krieg, William N. Copley, Peter Dreher / Galerie Friese, Berlin. Berlin (Germany), May 4, 2025.