Alexis Rockman

Time itself as protagonist: this publication, dedicated exclusively to Alexis Rockman's Naples cycle, presents the entire development of the seven panoramic paintings in great detail. By connecting art history with pressing contemporary realities, climate science and ecological collapse, the cycle paints a new picture of our civilisation. Rather than presenting history as linear progress, the cycle unfolds as recurrence: creation, eruption, collapse and transformation repeating across vastly different scales of time. Alongside the paintings the book presents Rockman's field drawings made with volcanic material from Mount Vesuvius. These works function as both studies and records of direct contact between image and geology. Together, they form a contemporary Course of Empire where civilisation is revealed as a brief, combustible phase within a far larger planetary story.
Anstatt Geschichte als linearen Fortschritt zu begreifen, entfaltet sich Alexis Rockmans Neapel-Zyklus als Prozess der Wiederkehr: Entstehung, Ausbruch, Zusammenbruch und Transformation kehren über die Zeit hinweg wieder. Neben den Gemälden präsentiert die Publikation Rockmans Zeichnungen, die mit vulkanischem Material des Vesuvs entstanden sind. Sie fungieren zugleich als Studien und als unmittelbare Zeugnisse des Kontakts zwischen Kunstwerk und Ort. Gemeinsam entwerfen sie ein neues Bild unserer Zivilisation als kurze, fragile Phase innerhalb einer weit größeren universalen Geschichte. Die Zeit als dominierende Instanz - Alexis Rockmans Neapel-Zyklus macht die Vergänglichkeit der Menschheit deutlich. Ausführlich und mit vielen Details beschreibt die Publikation die Entstehungsgeschichte der sieben Panorama-Gemälde. Offengelegt werden sowohl kunsthistorische Bezüge als auch aktuelle Themen wie Klimaforschung und ökologischer Kollaps.

Alexis Rockman, a painter based in Warren, Connecticut, is an environmental activist who began making paintings and works on paper to build environmental awareness in the mid-1980s. Embarking on expeditions to distant locations like Antarctica and Madagascar in the company of professional naturalists, his work tells stories of natural histories confronting the challenging future of the biodiversity crisis, global warming, and genetic engineering. Rockman's work has been exhibited around the world and showcased at prestigious galleries and museums including the Venice Biennale, Carnegie Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Serpentine Galleries. Rockman worked on the 2012 movie Life of Pi with Ang Lee as "Inspirational Artist." Recent exhibitions include Alexis Rockman: Oceanus, a major exhibition that premiered at Mystic Seaport Museum in 2023 and is now touring. Mark Dion and Alexis Rockman: Journey to Nature's Underworld, the first two-person exhibition of these closely allied artists, had five museum venues in the U.S.. Vertigo at Massimo De Carlo in Paris and Feedback Loop at Jack Shainman Gallery in New York City both opened in January 2026.