Franz Gertsch

Gertsch is known for his realistic paintings and woodcuts for which he developed a new technique. The artist’s first large sized realist paintings date from 1969, when he painted “Huaa…!”, based on a film still showing a 19th century cavalryman the moment he’s been hit by a bullet. “Huaa...!” initiated the turn to the artist’s brightly coloured photorealistic works of the 1970s, which were often based on Gertsch’s own documentary-style snapshots of family and friends. With these works, Gertsch gained attention as an observer of Swiss counterculture. His self-titled “situation portraits” include the artist’s depictions of his gender fluid friends getting ready for a party, which was called “a new art form” by the American psychologist and LSD guru Timothy Leary. Following his participation in the 1972 documenta, Gertsch’s new work featured more tightly framed figures. This phase of the artist’s work ended in 1978–1979 with five portraits of rock musician Patti Smith. In these paintings, Gertsch presents the rock icon in a realistic and authentic way, crouching in front of an amplifier, leaning forward into a tangle of microphones, or seen from behind or to the very edge of the painting. Moving between painting and printmaking, and portraiture and landscape, he maintained an investment in the photorealist image and its simultaneous citation and monumentalization of the photographic instant. Gertsch’s figurative and photorealistic works can be associated with the European Pop art movement and with contemporary artists such as Gerhard Richter and Sigmar Polke in Germany, as well as Chuck Close in the USA. Just like these three artists, Gertsch’s point of departure is the photographic image. Focusing on detailed nature studies and close-up portraits, Gertsch however developed his unique style separating him from the social commentary and ironic motifs of Pop art. Gertsch noted the fundamental influence Pop art had on his artistic career: “It was only through my encounter with Pop art in the mid-1960s that I finally found a way to enter into current art trends”. Together with Markus Raetz, Benedict Fivian, and Herbert Distel, he was represented in the 2017 retrospective Swiss Pop Art at the Aargauer Kunsthaus. From 1976 to 2013 he created a total of 28 paintings and 15 monochrome woodcuts; he worked on a single composition for up to a year. In 1986, Gertsch took a break from painting to master the woodcut printmaking technique, in which he has pioneered new territory. In his woodcuts, the artist is said to use colour expressive rather than realistically, in order to define anew the relationship between colour and three-dimensional space. The first motifs were monumental portraits of young women, the various prints were all in different colours and thus assumed the character of individual sheets. In addition to the detailed work in cutting the wooden plates, Gertsch’s graphic prints entail time-consuming mixing and colour testing of binder and mineral pigments especially imported from Japan, and thorough testing of hand-made Japan paper for the best possible transfer of colour from the print plates to the finished result. Colour played a central role for Gertsch – to the artist, the photographic image becomes a bearer of abstract qualities in colour and space. In his own words: «The more I focus on the photographic image, the more I move away from it» – towards recognizing that colour and the work has their own life, separate from the motif.

Huaa...! (1969) Maria mit Kindern (1971) Medici (1971/72) Gaby und Luciano (1973) At Luciano's House (1973) Barbara und Gaby (1974) Marina schminkt Luciano (1975)

Patti Smith I, II, V (1978/79) Selbstbildnis (1980) Johanna I (1983/84) Natascha IV (1987/88) Silvia I (1998) Gräser I (1995/96) Gräser IV (1998/99)

2024 "Franz Gertsch", Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humblebæk "Franz Gertsch. Selected Woodcuts", Galleri K, Oslo 2020 "Franz Gertsch. Die Siebziger", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf, LENTOS Kunstmuseum Linz, Linz "Franz Gertsch. Looking Back. Hommage zum Neunzigsten", Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich, Zürich 2019 "Franz Gertsch. Es malt sich wie von selbst", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Frühling, Sommer, Herbst und Winter", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Winter und Sommer", Galerie Kornfeld, Bern "Franz Gertsch. Selected Woodcuts 1986-2017", Galleri K, Oslo 2018 "Franz Gertsch. Bilder sind meine Biografie", Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel "Franz Gertsch: Polyfocal Allover", Swiss Institute (SI), New York "Franz Gertsch. Looking at you", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf 2017 "Franz Gertsch visages paysages", Musée Jenisch, Vevey "Franz Gertsch", Galerie Skopia, Genf "Franz Gertsch. Sommer", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Neu und unbekannt", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Selected monumental woodcuts", Galleri K, TEFAF Maastricht 2016 "Werke von Franz Gertsch", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Portraits and Landscapes: Woodcuts", Galleri K, Oslo 2015 "Franz Gertsch. Gewachsen", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Frühe Holzschnitte", Kabinett, Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Johanna & Co. feat. Andy Warhol", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch", Galerie Michael Haas, Berlin 2014 "Franz Gertsch", Galerie Skopia, Genf "Franz Gertsch", Les Abattoirs, Toulouse "Franz Gertsch: Die Jahreszeiten", Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Kleve "Franz Gertsch. Triptychon Guadeloupe", Museum Folkwang, Essen 2013 "Franz Gertsch Holzschnitte. Aus der Natur gerissen", Museum Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg "Franz Gertsch. Geheimnis Natur", Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden 2012 "Franz Gertsch. Momentaufnahme", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Die vier Jahreszeiten", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf 2011 "Franz Gertsch. Aus dem Frühwerk", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Die vier Jahreszeiten", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Das grosse Gras", Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Jahreszeiten. Werke von 1983 bis 2011", Kunsthaus Zürich "Franz Gertsch – Holzschnitte", Galerie Haas AG, Zürich "Franz Gertsch – Holzschnitte- ausgewählte Separatdrucke", Galerie Kornfeld und Cie., Bern 2010 "Rot & Blau. Franz Gertsch und Max von Mühlenen", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Drei Gemälde aus dem Vier Jahreszeiten Zyklus", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf 2009 "Franz Gertsch. 1950 und 1960: Skizzen und Vorzeichnungen zu, Tristan Bärmann‘", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Die neuen Jahreszeiten", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Eigenleben der Farbe. Farbproben zur Druckgraphik von Franz Gertsch", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch – Gräser – Holzschnitte", Galerie Lindner, Wien "Silvia", Galerie Haas & Fuchs, Berlin 2008 "Franz Gertsch", Galerie Skopia, Genf "Franz Gertsch", Patrick Painter Inc., Santa Monica, CA "Franz Gertsch. Herbst", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Arbeiten auf Papier", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch", Galerie Lovers of Fine Art, Gstaad 2007 "REHAU Aussicht Franz Gertsch", REHAU ART, Rehau 2006 "Franz Gertsch – Monumentale Holzschnitte", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf "Franz Gertsch. Retrospektive – das malerische Werk 1951–1986", MUMOK Museum

1949 De Harris scholarship 1967 Louise Aeschlimann scholarship 1974–75 DAAD scholarship, Berlin 1997 Goslarer Kaiserring 1998 Kulturpreis der Bürgi-Willert-Foundation 2005 Honorary citizen Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel 2006 Honorary citizen Rüschegg