Günther Förg

untitled, 1996, gouache on light cardboard, abstract minimalism

Günther Förg (5 December 1952 – 5 December 2013) was a German painter, graphic designer, sculptor and photographer. His abstract style was influenced by American abstract painting. Förg was born in Füssen, Allgäu. His father, Michael, worked in a customs office. He studied from 1973 until 1979 at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich with Karl Fred Dahmen. From 1992 until 1999, he taught at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruhe. From 1999 on he was a professor in Munich. He had a home in Areuse, Switzerland, as well as in Freiburg. In 1993 he married Ika Huber. His paintings of geometric abstraction, intensely tinted, have a very strong decorative character. Förg combined diverse materials and media in painting, sculpture, and photography. The themes of his large-scale architectural photographs are Bauhaus aesthetics and fascism, while his monochrome wall art and lead paintings are reflections on art. In the field of photography, his central masterpieces are the works at Wittgenstein House, Casa Malaparte, Casa del Fascio and more, from 1980-2006. In a recent exhibition, Q2 2009 in Berlin, «60 Jahre / 60 Werke» on the 60th anniversary of the Federal Republic of Germany, Förg's photography was represented by 5 outstanding photographs: "Ida", 1985/86 (180x120cm ); "Treppenhaus München", 1986 (180x120cm); "Michaela", 1986 (180x120cm), "Asilo d'infanzia, Sant Elia, Como", 1986, (180x120cm), "Asilo d'Infanzia, Sant Elia, Como", 1986 (180x120cm). Förg was mentioned in «Art now vol. 3”, Taschen Verlag, 2009 as one of the 133 most interesting living artists. According to Artinvestor Magazine, 2009, Förg ranks globally as number 23 when several factors are combined, including a collector base, auction results, and gallery network. He died, aged 61, in Colombier, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Exhibitions Förg had his first solo exhibition at Rüdiger Schöttle Gallery, Munich, in 1980 with a series of monochrome paintings. In 1992, his work could be seen at the documenta IX, followed by an exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1995. Förg has had solo exhibitions at Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria, Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany, Kunstmuseum Basel, Switzerland; Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany; Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands; Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Tel Aviv, Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz, Austria, Museum der Stadt Füssen, Füssen, Germany, and Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany.