Permanent moment

It was the last exhibition that Franz Gertsch (1930-2022) himself was involved in planning: the show of the same name at the Louisiana Museum of Art offers an overview of the oeuvre of a fascinating 20th century painter. The Swiss artist achieved his breakthrough at documenta 5 (1972) with large-format hyperrealist paintings – and helped hyperrealism to gain greater recognition in Europe. Here, what was perceived as American art was considered superficial, unimaginative and commercial. With picture details and motifs that seem like personal observations and sometimes a mixture of abstraction and figuration, Gertsch succeeded in creating a new approach to hyperrealism that differed from other positions. Gertsch often used unprimed cotton as a support, which he painted with acrylics and, in his later years, with egg tempera. From June 21 to November 10, Gertsch's first retrospective in Scandinavia will be on display in Humlebæk near Copenhagen, with works from all of his important creative phases.

Gertsch, who had turned to romantic painting and pop art collages at the beginning of his career, devoted himself to hyperrealism from 1969 onwards. His work Huaa...! shown above heralded this turning point. In the 1980s, he produced large-format hyperrealistic woodcuts that exerted a unique pull. Today, Gertsch is considered one of the most famous Swiss painters. He took part in the Venice Biennale three times, most recently in 2003, and won the prestigious Kaiserring, the art prize of the city of Goslar, in 1997. Gertsch has repeatedly depicted the Swiss painter Luciano Castelli (*1951) in his works.

The exhibition will then move to the Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, where it will be on display from December 12, 2024 to May 4, 2025.