Rupprecht Geiger
Encyclopedia
Rupprecht Geiger was an abstract painter
and sculptor from Munich
, Germany
. He is perhaps best known for his color field paintings and for his passion for the color red.
. Besides Germany, the family spent time in Spain, and he also joined his father on trips to Morocco and the Canary Islands. It was on these trips that Geiger began painting. From 1926 through 1935 he studied and taught architecture and art at academic institutions in Munich. From 1936 to 1940 he worked as an architect at several firms, also in Munich. He was called up to fight in World War II and was at the Eastern Front in Poland and Russia, and then in 1943 and 1944 he was a war illustrator in the Ukraine and Greece. He exhibited his first abstract painting in 1948.
After the war, from 1949 to 1962 he was again active as an architect. In 1949, Geiger co-founded the Munich artists' group ZEN 49
. Hilla von Rebay
chose to exhibit his artwork at the Museum for Non-Objective Painting
(later the Guggenheim Foundation).
From 1965 to 1976, Geiger was professor of painting at Staatlichen Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
.
His paintings are often concerned with the theme of color. In the 1950s, he particularly studied the color red. Geiger's paintings are characterized by simple geometric forms (rectangles, ovals, circles), bright colors, and intense contrasts. The Dombergmuseum near Munich possesses a collection of his works.
:
Abstract art
Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
and sculptor from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He is perhaps best known for his color field paintings and for his passion for the color red.
Life and work
Geiger was born in Munich, the only child of painter Willi GeigerWilli Geiger (painter)
Willi Geiger was a German painter.The son of a teacher, Willi Geiger was born 1878 in Landshut. From 1898-99 he attended the Munich Arts and Crafts School, and later the Technical University, where he passed the state examination to teach drawing...
. Besides Germany, the family spent time in Spain, and he also joined his father on trips to Morocco and the Canary Islands. It was on these trips that Geiger began painting. From 1926 through 1935 he studied and taught architecture and art at academic institutions in Munich. From 1936 to 1940 he worked as an architect at several firms, also in Munich. He was called up to fight in World War II and was at the Eastern Front in Poland and Russia, and then in 1943 and 1944 he was a war illustrator in the Ukraine and Greece. He exhibited his first abstract painting in 1948.
After the war, from 1949 to 1962 he was again active as an architect. In 1949, Geiger co-founded the Munich artists' group ZEN 49
Zen 49
Zen 49 was a group of German artists, who came together in Munich in July 1949. Originally the Gruppe der Ungegenständlichen, they took the name Zen 49 the following year....
. Hilla von Rebay
Hilla von Rebay
Hildegard Anna Augusta Elizabeth Freiin Rebay von Ehrenwiesen, Baroness Hilla von Rebay, or simply Hilla Rebay , was a notable woman abstract painter in the early 20th century. After immigrating to the United States in 1927, she may be best known for helping Solomon R...
chose to exhibit his artwork at the Museum for Non-Objective Painting
Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit corporation founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and artist Hilla von Rebay. The first museum established by the foundation was the "Museum of Non-Objective Art", which was housed in rented space on Park Avenue in New York....
(later the Guggenheim Foundation).
From 1965 to 1976, Geiger was professor of painting at Staatlichen Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, formerly Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, is the Arts Academy of the city of Düsseldorf. It is well known for having produced many famous artists, such as Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Thomas Demand, and Andreas Gursky...
.
His paintings are often concerned with the theme of color. In the 1950s, he particularly studied the color red. Geiger's paintings are characterized by simple geometric forms (rectangles, ovals, circles), bright colors, and intense contrasts. The Dombergmuseum near Munich possesses a collection of his works.
Exhibitions
Major international exhibitions of Rupprecht Geiger's long career included four in the German city of KasselKassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
:
- documenta II (1959)
- documenta III (1964)
- 4. documenta (1968)
- documenta 6 (1977)