About the artist:

Franz Gertsch, born in Mörigen in 1930, is considered one of the most important contemporary Swiss artists. With his hyperrealism paintings and his woodcuts, which are unique both in technique and size, he also acquired an outstanding reputation outside Switzerland. Between his international breakthrough at the documenta 5 in Kassel in 1972, and the presentation of his works at the Biennale in Venice in 1999, a rich pictorial and graphic work emerged, which shows a very particular approach to reality. Reality to Franz Gertsch means not only a pictorial, but also a conceptual challenge. Even though his starting point is photographs or slide projections, the pictures follow their own inherent logic which aims at an absolute concord of all elements. Unlike the American photo-realistic painters, he uses a brush instead of a spray gun. The purity of the used material is program: From the colours, often made of minerals such as lapis lazuli, azurite and malachite, over binding agents to the canvas or hand-made Japanese paper, everything is chosen carefully and brought to perfect harmony with the work of art. His work assimilates a large part of the European painting tradition - from Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Dürer and Leonardo da Vinci to Caspar David Friedrich and Ferdinand Hodler - without betraying modernity. The woodcut work of Franz Gertsch is considered absolutely unique. In an unprecedented precision with respect to both cutting and printing and in monumental formats which push the limits of what is feasible in paper production, Gertsch has opened new dimensions for this traditional medium. This exceptional work has not lacked recognition. Large exhibitions, for instance in the museum of Modern Art in New York, in Kyoto, Berlin, London and other places, bear witness to this esteem. Gertsch is represented in German and American museums. In Switzerland, however, we have seen comparatively little of him so far. The collections of the Kunsthaus Zurich and the Berner Kunstmuseum cannot be regarded as representative. With the museum franz gertsch in Burgdorf, situated not far from his residence and place of work in Rüschegg, his outstanding oeuvre will now be adequately appreciated. Born on March 8, 1930 in Mörigen, canton of Berne 1947-50Education at the painting school Max von Mühlenen, Berne 1950-52Further education by Hans Schwarzenbach, Berne 1963Marriage to Maria Meer 1967Louise Aeschlimann-Scholarship 1969First large size realistic paintings 1970Family and group scenes, "Situations" portraits 1972Participation in the documenta V with the picture Medici 1974-75DAAD-Scholarship, Berlin 1976Gertsch moves to Rüschegg 1978Participation in the Biennale in Venice 1980Gertsch starts painting a series of portraits with a self-portrait, followed by Irene, Tabea, Verena, Christina, Johanna and Simone 1986Gertsch stops painting and concentrates on large-scale woodcuts 1994Starts painting again - until 1999 Gräser I-IV and Silvia (1997/98) are created 1997"Kaiserring" award of the city of Goslar 1999Individual presentation at the Biennale in Venice 2002Opening of the museum franz gertsch in Burgdorf, Switzerland 2003Participation in the Biennale of Venice