German
Basic Data
Günther Förg was a contemporary German painter, sculptor and photographer. Influenced by European Modernism and American Minimal Art, his non-objective works are characterized by schematic clarity, geometric forms and grid-like structures.
- Born: 5 December 1952
- Place of birth: Füssen, Bavaria
- Died on: 5 December 2013
- Nationality: German
- Studied at: Academy of Fine Arts Munich
- Teacher: Karl Fred Dahmen
- Similar artists: Imi Knoebel
- Era: Postmodernism, contemporary art
- Stylistic direction: New geometry
Günther Förg Art For Sale
Günther Förg Prices
| Artist: | Title: | Type: | Format: | Edition: | Handsigned: | Numbered: | Date: | Price: |
| Günther Förg | Hora | Original print | 63 x 82.5 cm | limited edition of 99 | yes | yes | 28.05.2019 | 900 Euro |
| Günther Förg | Komposition | Original print | 50 x 60 cm | yes | no | 28.05.2019 | 890 Euro | |
| Günther Förg | Komposition | Original print | 70 x 100 cm | limited edition of 130 | yes | yes | 28.05.2019 | 1.200 Euro |
| Günther Förg | Ohne Titel | Original print | 38.0 x 52.3 cm | yes | no | 28.05.2019 | 340 Euro | |
| Günther Förg | o. T. | Unique, Watercolor | 54 x 38 cm | yes | no | 28.05.2019 | 8.900 Euro | |
| Günther Förg | o. T. I | Unique, Watercolor | 45.5 x 35.5 cm | yes | no | 28.05.2019 | 7.900 Euro | |
| Günther Förg | o. T. II | Unique, Watercolor | 45.5 x 35.5 cm | yes | no | 28.05.2019 | 7.900 Euro |
Biography
The painter, photographer and sculptor Günther Förg was born in Füssen, Bavaria, on the 5th of December 1952. After school he began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich in 1973. There he became acquainted with abstract painting through his teacher Karl Fred Dahmen, a representative of Informel.
In the first half of his studies, his work was still characterised by black, monochrome compositions, which he painted with acrylic on canvas. Gradually he began to experiment with the inclusion of new materials in his paintings. In 1979 Förg successfully completed his studies.
The 1980s were to play a decisive role for Förg both in terms of his artistic development and his prominence in the art world. Förg began to use photography in his work, either incorporating it into his works or presenting it as stand-alone photographs. At that time, the interplay of painting, photography and materials such as aluminium gave rise to his so-called 'aluminium pictures'.
The Rüdiger Schöttle Gallery organised the artist's first solo exhibition in Munich just one year after Förg's graduation. Numerous other exhibitions followed in Germany. From the mid-1980s onwards, his works were also represented in international group and solo exhibitions. His works were presented to a broad public in Amsterdam in 1985 as well in Chicago, Bern and New York City in 1986.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Förg created large-format grid paintings on canvas and paper that allude to the reduced formal language of modern architecture. They are an example of the recurring references to 20th century architecture in his oeuvre.
In 1992 he took part in documenta IX in Kassel. In the same year, Förg began teaching at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe. In 1999 he moved from Karlsruhe to the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich. There he held a professorship until his death.
Today Günther Förg is one of the best-known German representatives of contemporary abstraction. In 1996 he was awarded the renowned Wolfgang Hahn Prize in Cologne and in 2003 the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon. Günther Förg died on 5 December 2013 in Freiburg im Breisgau at the age of 61 as a result of cancer.
Exhibitions
Current exhibitions
- 15.04.21 – 17.10.21 lichtempfindlich 2 – SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen.
- 27.03.21 – 07.02.22 Ways of Seeing Abstraction – Works from the Deutsche Bank Collection – PalaisPopulaire, Berlin/ Deutsche Bank.
- 26.02.21 – 31.12.21 Helga de Alvear Collection – Centro de Artes Visuales Helga de Alvear, Cáceres.
Past exhibitions
- 2019 Photographie et documents, 1983-2018 - FRAC - Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Marseille.
- 2019 Michael Müller. "DEINE KUNST" The Conditions of Being Art (oder der Amateur) Dritte Fassung - Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg.
- 2019 THE PARRINOS - Massimo De Carlo, Milan.
- 2019 IN MEMORIAM - Fuhrwerkswaage Kunstraum, Cologne.
- 2019 gestalten - ein Jahrhundert abstrakte Kunst im Westen - Kunsthaus NRW Kornelimünster, Aachen.
- 2019 Abstraction: Aspects of Contemporary Art - The National Museum of Art, Osaka.
- 2018 HEIMVORTEIL. Deutsche Künstler aus der Sammlung Schaufler - SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen.
- 2018 Günther Förg: A Fragile Beauty - Dallas Museum of Art.
- 2018 PAINTINGS FROM THE 1980S AND 1990S - MUDAM Musée d´Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean, Luxemburg.
- 2018 Günther Förg - A Fragile Beauty - Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam.
- 2018 GENERAL REHEARSAL - MMOMA Moscow.
- 2018 Image Profile. Aspekte des Dokumentarischen in der fotografischen Sammlung des MMK - MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt.
- 2017 Deutschland 8 – German Art in Beijing - Yuan Art Museum, Beijing.
- 2017 Primary Structures. - MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt.
- 2016 Sammlung Opitz-Hoffmann - Kunstsammlung Jena.
- 2016 FORG - Günther Förg - Massimo De Carlo, Hong Kong.
- 2016 ICH - Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.
Awards
- 1996: Wolfgang-Hahn-Prize, Cologne.
- 2003: Bundesverdienstkreuz.
Literature
- Günther Förg: Werke in der Sammlung Friedrichs, Hans Werner Holzwarth and others, Berlin 2019.
- Günther Förg (Ohne Titel) 1976-2008 : Gemälde und Werke auf Papier aus der Sammlung Friedrichs, Christian Malycha, Cologne 2018.
- Günther Förg Photographs. Bauhaus Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern Ruit 2002.
- Günther Förg. Back and Forth, catalog to the exhibition, 22. February 2008 till 1. June 2008, published by Edition Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg, 2008.
- Günther Förg, Arnold Stadler: Watercolours – Aquarelle, Ettlingen 2006.
Collections
Germany
- Frankfurt/ Main - Museum für Moderne Kunst (MMK)
- Frankfurt/ Main - Städel Museum
England
- London - Tate Britain
- London - Tate Modern
Netherlands
- Amsterdam - Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
USA
- New York City - Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- San Francisco - San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
