Swiss Artist Andre Thomkins Invented 'Lackskins'-Now They Are On View

"André Thomkins (1930-1985) was seemingly unbounded by any prevailing artist trends or conventions of his time. From drawing to sculptures, poetry to painting, Thomkins approached artmaking with unyielding experimentation, as an extension of everyday life. Arguably chief among his experimental approaches to his work was the development of "Lacksins" sometime in the 1950s, works that could be broadly defined as drawings that were executed by his own proprietary methods."

"Using a method drawn from the practice of bookbinding as a starting point, Thomkins variously dripped varnish from sticks onto the surface of water. Mirroring the process of creating traditional marbled paper, he then altered modified the floating medium before laying a sheet of water across the top. The film of color would then transfer to the sheet, the final result only revealed with the paper was removed."

"Originally from Lucerne, Switzerland, Thomkins spent much of his life in Germany, and throughout his career was influenced by Surrealism and Dadaism, as well as by artists such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. His innate curiosity led him to also study philosophy, literature, and parapsychology (the study of psychic phenomena). These intellectual pursuits are reflected in his practice, which taps into everything the expressive nature of language and music to the invention of new techniques-like the Lackskins."

André Thomkins practiced wide-ranging experimental art across drawing, sculpture, poetry, and painting, treating artmaking as an extension of everyday life. He developed 'Lacksins' in the 1950s, unique drawings executed with proprietary, bookbinding-inspired techniques. The process involved dripping varnish from sticks onto water, manipulating the floating medium, then laying paper to transfer the film of color, producing partly controlled, chance-driven results. Influences included Surrealism, Dada, Paul Klee, and Kandinsky. Studies in philosophy, literature, and parapsychology informed his inventive approach to language, music, and technique, exemplified by the rediscovered Lackskins exhibited in Berlin.

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