Andreas Schulze is one of the most influential German painters of his generation, and with his singular approach to painting, a key member of the gallery program for over 40 years. Following his major exhibition at the Institution of Contemporary Art in Miami, Cake is Schulze’s first solo exhibition in the New York gallery space.

His approach to the motif varies from paintings that focus on cake-like details, often to the point of abstraction, to scenes of objects transformed into cakes themselves: The monumental, three-part Untitled (Cake Train) (all works 2026) processes down one of the gallery walls, reminiscent of one of Schulze’s best-known series of car paintings, Traffic Jam. Each canvas features its own train car composed entirely of cakes, slices, baking accouterments and food décor, all rendered in refined detail.

Paintings such as Untitled (Torta Ettore) and Untitled (Crash) zoom in on facets of cake, transforming familiar objects into abstracted forms that always hang in tight balance between abstraction and representation.

The cake paintings’ emphasis on everyday subjects, and cake in particular, likewise connects these works to a lineage of Pop artists who explored how such objects function within daily life. The cake paintings of Wayne Thiebaud, Claes Oldenburg’s papier-mâché marketplace, and even Andy Warhol’s silkscreened foods elevated common things to outsized status, triggering emotions and memories.

The architectural details in Schulze’s works, and his spatial concept of painting, are also made apparent throughout the exhibition, not only in the wall color and deliberate installation of the works—including a selection of cake plates from his own private collection—but also in the paintings’ very structure. Cream is arranged in spirals or volutes, in works such as Untitled (Rosie), which incorporate architectural components and connect the works to the surrounding space.

Each of Schulze’s cake paintings has its own unique character, presented in an array of scales, orientations, and perspectives. One moment we are taking in a vast scene; the next we are thrust headlong into layers of torte and toppings. Together the works provide one window onto Schulze’s approach to painting—with a sweet aftertaste.