Gotthard Graubner (1930-2013), the oldest artist in this exhibition, was associated with the Düsseldorf Art Academy as both a student and a professor. He was known for his non-representational atmospheric paintings on dense fabric, which developed a physical spatiality through the application of varied layers of paint; he called these objects "Farbraumkörper" beginning in the 1970s. The term is also the title of the current exhibition, as it relates to the relationship between space, form and color, which the artists Knoebel, Palermo and Ruthenbeck also explored in their works.
Knoebel (*1940) combines abstract painting with industrial materiality and color. Through his serial approach, he tests the possibilities of a minimalistic visual language. Palermo (1943-1977) pursued a conceptual tactic in his confrontation with Malevich, which he followed not only in his three-dimensional pictorial objects, but also in the expansion of painting into the physical exhibition space. The sculptor Reiner Ruthenbeck (1937-2016) examined the physical properties of the material in his abstract objects and installations, thereby creating stimulating contrasts through his use of opposites.
The 2013 comprehensive show When Now Is Minimal already attested to Sammlung Goetz’s commitment to a variety of minimalist positions. In contrast, the exhibition FarbRaumKörper presents a further aspect of this collection area with 70 works by four older artist personalities associated with the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
Curated by Karsten Löckemann und Leo Lencsés
