Max Hetzler

GÜNTHER FÖRG
Works on Paper
8 November 2014 – 10 January 2015

We are pleased to present the exhibition Works on Paper by Günther Förg in Bleibtreustraße 45.

Günther Förg's work is characterised by a multiplicity that becomes apparent both in his approach to various thematic motifs and references as well as in his intensive engagement with different forms of expression. His deep concern for modernist classics and his ongoing curiosity shaped and constantly reinvented his artistic practice. Thus, since the 70's, Förg has been producing an impressive oeuvre that includes paintings and drawings as well as sculptures, photographs and wall paintings.

Galerie Max Hetzler presents a selection of works on paper which emphasises Förg's manifold occupation with material and surface.

Among these are five large-scaled works on Canson paper from 1989 which through their structure give the impression of paintings. Their unusual size, especially compared to other works displayed, illustrate Förg's distinct approach to one and the same medium. Varying between bronze and rust-coloured nuances the single layers of paint overlap, appear partly transparent and then again opaque. The brushstrokes stay clearly visible and seem fast, but not in a roughly manner applied. Why guilty you me we can read on one work, with the fingers drawn into the paint, a reference to the sentence Jesus countered when being questioned by the Caiphas.

In a further body of work from 1999, called Oktober am Fenster and consisting of thirty gouaches, Förg’s typical shift between figuration and abstraction becomes visible. Portraits of women and blurry landscapes are displayed next to mere abstract compositions. The classic form of the grid appears repeatedly, structuring the geometric works but also occurring in the figurative pictures. Thus, the series plays with the contradiction between geometric strictness and expressive, spontaneous application of paint.

The dark watercolours of the series Untitled, 1985, convey a severity that is unusual for its medium. They remind of a glimpse out of the window where the slowly falling night or a black painted window glass blocks the direct view of the landscape behind. Occasionally, only a few coloured spots light up. Black dominates the image structure, arranging and organising the composition, at times even dissolving it. In these works Förg also uses figurative elements. One recognises window frames, crosses and even spider webs but then again these could also be plain abstract forms.

At the same time, we are opening a solo exhibition with sculptures and photographs by Robert Grosvenor at Goethestraße 2/3.

Günther Förg was born 1952 in Füssen and died 2013 in Freiburg. He was a professor at the University of Arts and Design, Karlsruhe and later at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. His work has been exhibited in numerous solo shows in international institutions, such as Museum Brandhorst, Munich (2014); Fondation Beyeler, Basel (2009); Langen Foundation, Neuss (2007); Kunstmuseum Basel (2006); Gemeentemuseum, The Hague (2003, 2006); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2002); Kunsthaus Bregenz (2001); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía / Palacio de Velázquez, Madrid (1998); Touko Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo; Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (1991); Museum Fridericianum, Kassel; Secession, Vienna (1990); Newport Harbour Art Museum, Newport Beach (1989) and The Renaissance Society, Chicago (1988). Förg's work is part of major collections, such as Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; Städel Museum, Frankfurt/Main; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam and Tate Britain, London among others.

We would like to thank the Estate of Günther Förg and Michael Neff for their generous support.