Gerhard von Graevenitz & André Thomkins

28 FEB until 14 APR

Gerhard von Graevenitz (1934–1983) belonged to the younger generation of constructive-concrete artists. His work is characterised by concepts such as sequence, progression, structure and chance as formal principles. This is already visible in the series of objects called “White Structures” and “Raster Pictures”, which Graevenitz developed from 1958 on while studying in Munich. As one of the co-founders of ‘New Tendencies’ in 1961 he created a kinetic art with an emphasis on processes considering it as a research on perception.
The two kinetic objects on show, executed 1975/76, belong to the work period starting in the mid-1960s, in which a reduction to only a few moving elements mounted on a basic geometric form took place: On a white square background, black strips move independently of each other so slowly that it is possible for the spectator to capture the overall image that is always being created anew by chance.

The Swiss artist André Thomkins (1930–1985) ranks among the most extraordinary artistic positions of the postwar era. Living in Germany since 1952, he created – blessed with an exuberant inventiveness and the juvenile wish to become an “architect for fantastic buildings” – an oeuvre that in its diversity resists art-historical classification. Inspired by Surrealism, DADA and Pittura Metafisica, he producedquite traditionally paintings, innumerable drawings and watercolours, but besides objects made of everyday trouvailles such as rubber bands, buttons and newspaper cuttings. In addition, starting in the mid-1950s, Thomkins developed his own artistic techniques placing him close to contemporary Art Informel and Abstract Expressionism.

Our exhibition puts a focus on precisely these rather experimental works: A large set with 27 pieces of his so-called “Scharniere”, important “Lackskins” made in the 1960ies, a fine example of his “Rapportmuster” and some of his more discrete “Rollagen” show his very own artistic expression.