Ruben Müller

Ruben Müller’s paintings search for the eternal and unchanging side of modernity through the depiction of seemingly solitary figures engaged in everyday gestures. Drawing influence from both the richly textured imagery of Old Masters paintings and photographs from his personal experiences, Müller constructs scenes that feel both familiar and unknown. His subjects are intentionally anonymous, allowing viewers to supplement the artist’s lived experiences with their own realities, while maintaining a barrier that ultimately prevents contact. Through subdued atmospheres and carefully staged moments, his works evoke a sense of theatrical nostalgia, creating scenes in which both everything and nothing are private. 

Müller was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany in 1990. He graduated from the University of Fine Arts Dresden with an MFA in 2019. Müller’s work has been exhibited internationally including at Galerie Ursula Walter, Dresden, the Stadtarchiv Dresden, the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia, Düsseldorf, the Usedomer Kunstverein, Heringsdorf, KLAGG Artspace, Dresden, Kunstquartier Bethanien, Berlin, Kunstverein Meißen,, and participation in WIN/WIN at Museum Gunzenhauser, Chemnitz in 2024. Müller currently lives and works in Dresden, Germany.