DUSSELDORF.- Enigmatic genius, legendary eccentric and an uncompromising avant-gardist – that's Herbert Zangs. Ketterer Kunst shows a selection of works from his decisive early years in context of a traveling exhibition with stops in Düsseldorf as of 2 September and in Berlin as of 8 October 2016.

The focus of the 37 works in the exhibition is on a characterization of Herbert Zangs, the art scene's “enfant terrible“, as a pioneer of experimental post-war art, as innovator and unrecognized genius. Whether ZERO or art from Beuys to Manzoni - Zangs had anticipated many art trends with an amazing preciseness. In fact, he was and still is a case for adepts.

This is little surprising, because Herbert Zangs, born in Krefeld, Germany in 1924, served as a pilot in World War II for four years and attended the Düsseldorf Art Academy for another four years after the war. He was known as a passionately blustering character, excessive, egocentric and absolutely uncompromising.

Zangs often worked like in a state of ecstasy, however, whenever he should have been present in person in order to obtain commissions, he often just disappeared. To him freedom and independence always came first. It probably is this absolutely uncompromising attitude, as well as the fact that the impressive primal power reveals a highly sensitive character, a calm, melancholic and almost poetic artist, that makes his art so special. His famous “Verweißungen“ (Whitenings), his relief paintings and the folded and knitted objects show an artist characterized by an elemental force and a subtle, hidden sensitivity at the same time.

“I am very happy about the generous loans that enabled us to compile this impressive exhibition of high-quality works from Herbert Zangs' best period of creation and to illustrate the pioneering role of the wayward exceptional artist“, says Robert Ketterer, owner and managing director of Ketterer Kunst.

On occasion of the exhibition ”Herbert Zangs – Frühe Arbeiten“ (Herbert Zangs – Early Works) Prof. Dr. Erich Franz, honorary professor at the Art Academy in Münster, will be delivering the opening speech on 2 September in Düsseldorf and on 7 October in Berlin. The exhibition catalog with the title ”Bild als Energiezustand“ (Image as Energy State) also offers a knowledgeable examination of Herbert Zangs' early period of creation.