Günther Förg
(1952 - 2013)
Günther Förg was born in Füssen, Germany in 1952 and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich from 1973 to 1979. An extraordinarily versatile painter, photographer, graphic artist and sculptor, Förg taught at the Staatliche Hochschule für Gestaltung in Karlsruche between 1992 until 1999. He lived and worked in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
His paintings and photographs are reflections of modernity and the ways in which modernity manifests itself. Monochromotic color fields are central to Förg’s oeuvre, which can be interpreted dually as an homage to minimalism and as an attempt to highlight the failure of modernist ideals. His abstract style was influenced by American abstract painting.
Förg’s work has been shown in important institutions such as the Fountain Beyeler, Basel (2009); Langen Foundation in Neuss (2007); Kunstmuseum Basel (2006); Gemeentemuseum The Hague (2006); Tel Aviv Museum of Art (2002); Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía/Palacio de Velazquez, Madrid (1998); Toyko Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (1991); Newport Harbor Art Museum, Newport Beach (1989) and SFMoMa, San Francisco (1989).
Works by Förg are part of major museum collections such as the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam); National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa); Museum für Monderne Kunst (Frankfurt); Ludwig Museum (Cologne); Tate Modern (London); Museum of Modern Art (NY); SFMoMa (San Francisco) and Hamburger Bahnhof-Museum für Gegenwart (Berlin).
