GERTSCH, Franz

About the Swiss photorealist Franz GERTSCH (1930-2022)

Franz GERTSCH was a painter and graphic artist who achieved international renown for his large-format hyperrealistic portraits. In the mid-1960s, he was decisively influenced by Pop Art. From 1964 to 1969, he created two-dimensional collages based on photographs and made of colored paper (Mick Jagger). From 1969 to 1978, he created large-format photorealistic[6] or hyperrealistic paintings. Huaa...! was followed by numerous paintings based on his own photographs of family members and friends from the Swiss art scene. In 1972 he took part in documenta 5 in Kassel, curated by Harald Szeeman, which made him famous. From 1978, Gertsch turned to individual portraits. He created a portrait cycle of the rock musician Patti Smith and the self-portrait from 1980. He took part in the Venice Biennale in 1978, 1999 and 2003. Franz GERTSCH died in 2022 at the age of 92.

Books by and with works by Franz GERTSCH

  • 'Landscape. Die Spur des Sublimen' (1998, together with works by Axel HÜTTE, Olaf NICOLAI, Marina Abramovic, Michael Biberstein, Hamish FULTON, Panamarenko and Simone NIEWEG); 'Die Magie des Realen' (2004); 'Retrospektive' (2005); 'Chuck Close/Franz Gertsch' (2005); 'Seasons. Works 1983 to 2011' (2011); 'Geheimnsi Natur' (2013); 'Die Siebziger' (2020); 'Polyfocal Allover' (2020); 

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GERTSCH, Franz - Die Siebziger - IN ORIGINAL SHRINK WRAP!
GERTSCH, Franz - Die Siebziger - IN ORIGINAL SHRINK WRAP!
The out-of-print book 'Franz Gertsch 'The Seventies' shows the large-format key works by Swiss artist. His participation in the legendary 1972 documenta brought him international breakthrough. The photorealism paintings here date from this creative period
44,00 € * Weight 1.3 kg
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GERTSCH, Franz - Die Magie des Realen - IN ORIGINAL SHRINK WRAP!
GERTSCH, Franz - Die Magie des Realen - IN ORIGINAL SHRINK WRAP!
The out-of-print monograph 'Die Magie des Realen' by Angelika Affentranger-Kirchrath on the work of Swiss photorealist painter Franz GERTSCH spans from his children's drawings when he was barely ten years old to his early watercolors and his current works
45,00 € * Weight 1.7 kg
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Picturing America. Photorealism in the 1970's
Picturing America. Photorealism in the 1970's
This out-of-print volume, 'Picturing America: Photorealism in the 1970's', offers a snapshot of this chapter in art history, when in the late 1960's a number of young artist:s in the United States began painting images directly from photographs.
0,00 € * Weight 0.9 kg
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Awards (a selection)
  • 1997: 'The Kaiserring - Art Prize of the City of Goslar';

    1998: Culture Prize of the Bürgi-Willert Foundation;
    2005: Honorary citizen of the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel;
    2011: Willy Reber Art Prize;

Exhibitions (a selection)
  • 1991: 'Holzschnitte 1986-1991', Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Kunstbau, Munich;

    2005/2006: 'Franz Gertsch. Retrospective', Kunstmuseum Bern and Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf, at the Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen and Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen;
    2006/2007: Franz Gertsch. Double exhibition at the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Vienna and the Albertina Vienna;

    2011: 'Seasons. Works 1983-2011' Kunsthaus Zurich, Zurich;
    2013: 'Woodcuts. Torn from nature', Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg;
    2013-2014: 'Secret Nature', Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden;
    2014: Woodcuts by Franz Gertsch. Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf;
    2015/ 2016: 'Franz Gertsch', Saarlandmuseum, Modern Gallery, Saarbrücken;
    2017: 'Winter', Böhm Chapel, Hürth
    2017/18: 'Magical Nature' (together with works by Simone NIEWEG), Natascha Borowsky, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf;
    2018/2019: 'Pictures are my biography', Kunsthalle zu Kiel;
    2020: 'Looking Back. Homage to the ninetieth', Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich;
    2021: 'The Seventies', Lentos Art Museum Linz, Austria;
    2023: 'Color Samples', Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf;

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