Franz Gertsch

Franz Gertsch, who was born in 1930, is considered one of the most important contemporary Swiss artists, and along with Chuck Close, the most significant of the Photo- or Hyperrealists. Since his breakthrough at Harald Szeemann's legendary documenta 5 in 1972, Gertsch has been established on an international level. As recipient of the Goslar Kaiserring, participant in three Biennales in Venice, and with solo shows at renowned institutions such as The Museum of Modern Art, Gertsch has received some of the highest awards the art world has to offer. One particular highlight of his career was the 2002 opening of a museum named after him in Burgdorf, near Bern, Switzerland. The museum is dedicated to his work-a rare honor for any living artist-and features a wide variety of his works. To celebrate his seventy-fifth birthday, this monograph-the most comprehensive to date-features a collection of Gertsch's most important large-format paintings, monumental woodcuts, and a broad selection of gouaches and watercolors from the late sixties to the present. A catalogue raisonné of the paintings is included in the volume. (English edition ISBN 978-3-7757-1709-0) Supported by Pro Helvetia, Arts Council of Switzerland Exhibition schedule: museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf, and Kunstmuseum Bern, November 13, 2005-March 12, 2006 · Ludwig Forum für Internationale Kunst, Aachen, April 8-June 25, 2006 · Kunsthalle Tübingen, July 15-October 1, 2006 · MUMOK Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, October 20, 2006-February 11, 2007