HAMBURG.- Swiss artist Franz Gertsch (1930–2022) is regarded as a pioneer of photorealism and a master of modern woodcut. In the second half of the 20th century, he coined a new notion of realism in painting and achieved worldwide fame with his works. From 13 December 2024 through 4 May 2025, the retrospective exhibition at Deichtorhallen Hamburg provides a comprehensive overview of more than 60 years of his artistic work: On display are large-format paintings up to six meters width of the youth and music scenes of the 1970s, iconic portraits of women from the 1980s, epic landscapes and depictions of nature from the last two decades, as well as monumental woodcuts.
Franz Gertsch's paintings and woodcuts appear with a spectacular size and photographic precision. In an unmistakable way and with perfect craftsmanship, his works tangle between close-up and distant effects, abstraction and representationalism offering a very special approach towards reality while at the same time always retaining something mysterious. With their exuberant scale, Gertsch’s paintings fill-up the space, inviting the viewer to literally sink into their photo-realistic depictions.
After beginning his career in romantic painting, from 1965 on Franz Gertsch transitioned through collages in the style of Pop Art to his large-scale photorealistic paintings and woodcuts, for which he is internationally known today. Alongside close family members and friends, his works show prominent protagonists from the art and music scene such as Patti Smith, the Rolling Stones and Urs Lüthi. International popularity was gained after his participation at documenta 5 where his painting ‘Medici’ attracted public attention. He created his large-scale realistic paintings using photographic templates and projecting them point by point to the canvas. The realization of a single work took him several months.
From 1985, Franz Gertsch developed the technique of woodcutting in his studio in Rüschegg, to which he devoted himself intensively in the years that followed. The prints have an extraordinary presence due to their sheer size. In painstaking, labor intensive manual work, the motifs are usually cut in lime wood and then printed with high-quality pigments on handmade Japanese paper. With this traditional technique, Gertsch has developed his own language, which definitively transcends all boundaries of the medium. In the process, he also reinvented his painterly cosmos. Landscape and nature soon took center stage.
This retrospective exhibition was realized by the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk, Denmark, in close collaboration with the artist, who sadly passed away in December 2022, and his family, as well as with substantial support from the Museum Franz Gertsch in Burgdorf. It provides a comprehensive overview of Gertsch’s versatile and impressive body of work, highlighting important milestones and recurring themes through selected works. In Hamburg, the exhibition has been expanded by over 20 works from various creative phases.
In collaboration with the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark
Curator: Kirsten Degel, Curator and Head of Collection, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art
Simultaneously on view at the Hall for Contemporary Art at the Deichtorhallen Hamburg is the exhibition ‘High Noon: Nan Goldin, David Armstrong, Mark Morrisroe, Philip-Lorca DiCorcia’ with around 150 photographs from the F. C. Gundlach Collection.
Explore Gertsch’s World: Dive deeper into Franz Gertsch’s art with
this carefully curated collection of art books on Amazon. Expand your knowledge, discover hidden details, and enrich your appreciation of his monumental works.
Artdaily participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn commissions by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. These commissions help us continue curating and sharing the art world’s latest news, stories, and resources with our readers.
