The reinvention of woodcut: The works of the artist duo Gert and Uwe Tobias (*1973 in Brașov, Romania) are characterized by boundless imagination, technical perfection, and profundity paired with humor. They are best known for their large-format color woodcuts, a technique they have revolutionarily expanded: Instead of carving their motifs into the printing block, the artists saw the wooden panels into individual pieces and then reassemble them to form their motifs. The twin brothers draw inspiration for their sometimes whimsical and grotesque works from art history as well as from the folk art and myths of their native Romania. Last year, they received the prestigious Lovis Corinth Prize for their work; the accompanying exhibition opened on May 9, 2026, at the Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie in Regensburg and runs through September 27, 2026. As usual, they drew inspiration for their concept from the exhibition space and also redesigned the museum’s foyer for the duration of the exhibition.
In addition to woodcuts, the work of Gert and Uwe Tobias includes collages, drawings, sculptures, murals, and installations. Among other honors, they are recipients of the HAP-Grieshaber Prize and the Graphic Arts Prize of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The duo has previously exhibited at venues such as the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich.
The Lovis Corinth Prize, awarded every two years, honors the internationally significant body of work of an artist who has made a relevant contribution to the development of contemporary forms of expression. The award is given to visual artists whose work in the fields of painting, graphic art, sculpture, installation, performance, photography, and new media has a thematic or biographical connection to Eastern Europe.
