Günther Förg
Günther Förg (1952-2013), born in Füssen, Germany, lived and worked in Areuse, Switzerland. The artist's oeuvre is a complex body of work including paintings, drawings, prints, photography, and sculptural works. Wall paintings – a central aspect of Förg's art – appear throughout his career and integrate the individual works into the conditions of a given space: often monochromatic color-field interventions into the formal system of architecture. Förg's painterly formulations are a consideration of the medium itself, and are in dialogue with the heroes of contemporary painting – such as Barnett Newman, Ad Reinhardt, Ellsworth Kelly and Blinky Palermo – and with the aesthetics of Bauhaus architecture. Günther Förg manages to redirect the media he employs by painting picture surfaces like a house painter, by composing rooms like a workman, by composing photographs à la Godard. Förg opens a space and invites us to take a walk in it, seeing through his eyes.
Günther Förg Editions
9 Farben
2000
Leaves
1999
Hora
1999
Coda
1996-1998
Wall Partition II
1988-1996
Blau, grün, blau
1995
Wall Partition I
1986-1993
9 Farben
2000
Acrylic paint on aluminum, 50 x 60 x 3 cm (19¾ x 23¾ x 1¼ in), with folded upper and lower edges. Edition of 40 paintings, each unique. Signed and numbered ("eines von vierzig" = "one of forty") on verso.
For this series of unique hand-painted editions, Günther Förg split the folded aluminum surface in half and used different combinations of nine colors to create unique two-color paintings. The dichotomy of abstract paintings is an integral part of the formal canon of contemporary artists; Förg consciously adopts this scheme for his painting.
Leaves
1999
Set of 4 etchings on rag paper, each print 84.5 x 63.5 cm (33¼ x 25 in). Edition of 50, each signed and numbered.
Günther Förg's edition Leaves illustrates his experimental approach to color and form. Characterized by broad, textured color fields intersected by vertical bands, the works create a balanced sense of tension. Förg’s use of high-contrast, intense hues emphasizes the emotional and spatial impact of color, highlighting his interdisciplinary artistic practice.
EUR 16,500
Hora
1999
Etching on rag paper, 82 x 63 cm (32 x 24¾ in). Edition of 99, signed and numbered.
Hora embodies Günther Förg’s intuitive painterly gesture, which he described as an immediate, unreflected approach to color. The vibrant orange bar on a dark green background reflects his characteristic visual vocabulary, encompassing lines, frames, and grid structures – elements that echo his engagement with architecture and the conventions of modernism. Förg’s works are deeply rooted in art historical references; in the etching Hora, the influence of Barnett Newman’s color field painting is particularly evident, which he integrated into his own artistic universe.
EUR 2,500
Coda
1996-1998
From Sequences
Three etchings on Rives BFK rag paper. Each print 50 x 40 cm (19¾ x 15¾ in). Edition of 60 + X, each signed and numbered.
Günther Förg’s Coda editions, named after a poem by Ezra Pound, are a striking exploration of abstraction and the impact of color. Characterized by broad vertical bands in vivid tones against a textured background, these works reflect Förg’s nuanced understanding of spatial relationships and surface depth. The restrained yet contrasting color palette creates a rhythmic dynamism, highlighting Förg’s ability to evoke emotional resonance through abstraction.
Set EUR 6,000
Wall Partition II
1988-1996
From Wall Works
Wall painting in two colors, with framed photograph 166 x 116 cm (65½ x 41¾ in); installation size according to the wall. Limited to 12 installations, with a signed and numbered certificate (gouache, 56 x 76 cm).
Wall Partition II was Günther Förg's second contribution to the group edition project Wall Works and is part of the permanent collection of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
EUR 30,000
Wall Partition I
1986-1993
From Wall Works
Wall painting in white latex and yellow tempera; installation size according to the wall. Limited to 12 installations, with a signed and numbered certificate (gouache, 57 x 76 cm).
Wall Partition I was Günther Förg's first contribution to the group edition project Wall Works and is part of the permanent collection of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
EUR 20,000
