Franz Gertsch (8 March 1930 – 21 December 2022) was a Swiss painter and printmaker who was known for his large format photorealistic portraits and detailed studies of nature.
Gertsch is known for his realistic paintings and woodcuts for which he developed a new technique.[6] 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.[7] 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.[7]
Following his participation in the 1972 documenta, Gertsch’s new work featured more tightly framed figures.[8] 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.[1]
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.[9] 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.[10] 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.[10]
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.[6] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[10] 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.[10]
"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 für Moderne Kunst Stiftung
Ludwig, Wien, zusammen mit
"Franz Gertsch. Naturporträts", Albertina, Wien
"Franz Gertsch, Ikon Gallery", Birmingham
2005
"Franz Gertsch. Die Retrospektive", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf, Kunstmuseum Bern, Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen (2006), Kunsthalle Tübingen (2006)
"M+M – Der Johanna Zyklus", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf
"Franz Gertsch – Werke aus der Sammlung Stiftung Willy Michel", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf
"Chuck Close. Franz Gertsch", Galerie Haas & Fuchs, Berlin, galerie im park, Burgdorf
"Franz Gertsch, Aquarelle – Schottland 1961–1965" – Museum Kurhaus Kleve
"Franz Gertsch. Fang Lijun. The Languages of Nature”, White Space, Peking
2004
"Franz Gertsch – Werke aus der Sammlung Stiftung Willy Michel", museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf
"Franz Gertsch. Aquarelle – Schottland 1961–1965", Graphische Sammlung der ETH Zürich, Museum Kurhaus Kleve
"Presence", The Speed Art Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
"Franz Gertsch – Patti Smith”, Gagosian Gallery, New York
"Martin Disler. Franz Gertsch", Galerie & Edition René Steiner, Erlach
