Gerhard Charles Rump

Biography and career

Born in Bochum on February 24, 1947, he finished the Graf-Engelbert-Schule (Gymnasium) in 1967 and studied Art History, English Language and Literature, Philosophy, Pedagogics and Psychology at the Ruhr-Universitat Bochum from 1968 to 1972; later also Anthropology at the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat in Bonn. He received his PhD with a book on the British 18th Century portrait painter George Romney in 1972. He became a curator at the University of Bochum’s University Library, in 1974 he went to Bonn University as Assistant Professor for Art History. In 1983 he left the University to become a freelance journalist for the national newspapers “Die Welt” and “Rheinischer Merkur” as well as a number of regional journals like “Kolnische Rundschau” and “Bonner Rundschau”. Concurrently he worked as an asset consultant for “Deutsche Vermogensberatung”. In 1986/7 he was curator of monuments for the city of Wesel (Germany), but joined the computer printer manufacturer Mannesmann Tally (now TallyGenicom) in 1987 as corporate communications manager to become the company’s marketing director a few years late. In 1987 he had his Habilitation at the University of Duisburg. In 1994 he returned to journalism as art market editor for “Die Welt” while he pursued researching on art and art history and gained some renown as media theorist, particularly on art communication and semiotics. He also pursued his career as artist photographer. In 2009 he contributed to Konstantin Akinsha's article on Russian avant garde which won the Association for Women in Communications' "Clarion Award". In 2010 he finally left “Die Welt” in order to forcus on his activities as university teacher and essayist, as art journalist and curator. In 2011 Catrin Rothe, Bernhard Ailinger and Gerhard Charles Rump founded the art project and producers’ "RAR Gallery" — Berlin, New York (NY) and Palo Alto (CA).

Publications (selected)

Rump authored among other titles: