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Günther Förg
Works on Paper
Berlin: Bleibtreustraße 45, November 08 – December 20, 2014

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

ünther 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.


ünther 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.



Robert Grosvenor
Berlin: Goethestraße 2/3, November 08 – December 20, 2014

We are pleased to present an exhibition with sculptures and photographs by Robert Grosvenor at Goethestraße 2/3.

obert Grosvenor is known for his spacious sculptures which capture the viewer through their specific materiality and unconventional formal language. He himself considers his sculptural work as ‘ideas that operate between floor and ceiling’ and thus reveals an essential aspect of his practice: The preoccupation with the relation between an object and its surrounding as well as the effect that emerges from this connection.

In the 1960s, his work was perceived in the context of Minimal Art and later Land Art. Yet, although his works display a certain minimalistic aesthetic, Grosvenor never adopted the movement’s programmatic claims. His works are rather characterised by a playful dealing with the properties of materials and the complexity of disposals while never ascribing to a particular artistic style. Often his sculptures seem to overcome the principals of physics, especially gravity. They appear massive and yet floating, both static and dynamic. Thus, Grosvenor creates formations that not only unify contradictions but shift limits. Working with simple, already used objects, such as corrugated iron, pieces of wall, concrete blocks, metal brackets, plexiglass and plastic elements he combines and merges exceptional ensembles.

In his fourth solo exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler, Grosvenor displays three sculptures as well as a series of photographs which form a less well-known part of his artistic practice.

The sculptures presented in this exhibition offer an insight into Grosvenor's distinctive sculptural work. Untitled, 2014, a so-called hydroplane, consists of a variety of materials such as wood, fiberglass, aluminium and steel and captivates through its futuristic appearance. Whereas Untitled, 2013-2014 and Untitled, 1991 embody indefinable forms which are accurately composed and involve the surrounding space.

The 32 small-sized photographs, created between 2000 and 2013, at first glance appear like snapshots. Sometimes blurry, sometimes overexposed or offset they convey a provisional impression. On some pictures one sees small penguin figures formed out of ice, another series accompanies a plastic rat, surfing in the water on a life buoy. It quickly becomes apparent that these scenes were arranged; that the artist interfered and positioned things on purpose. Other photographs get the spectator thinking: Have these settings been staged or do they reveal real insights in absurd yet mundane situations? More often than not, the world itself offers fascinatingly humorous arrangements where objects seem to pose for the camera.

Similar to his sculptures Grosvenor’s photographic work shows his interest in the unremarkable, the everyday. He is inspired by things that might go unnoticed if one does not pay enough attention. With an eye for the unexpected and coincidental, sometimes even comical, he creates works that develop a specific precision and complexity within their simplicity.

At the same time, Galerie Max Hetzler opens an exhibition with works on paper by Günther Förg at Bleibtreustraße 45.

Robert Grosvenor, born 1937 in New York, lives and works in East Patchogue. His works were exhibited in important institutions, such as Kunsthalle Bern (1992); MoMA, New York (1995, 2006); Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (1999); The Arts Club, Chicago (2003); Fundação de Serralves, Porto (2005) and Whitney Museum of American Art, New York (2010). Grosvenor participated in documenta 6 and 8. His works are part of major collections, for instance Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis or Whitney Museum of American Art, New York among others.

We would like to thank Paula Cooper Gallery for their support.