Günther Förg - Coda

Günther Förg’s Coda (1996–98) is a striking triptych of etchings that reflects the artist’s mastery of color, abstraction, and rhythm. Using vertical bands of vivid hues - deep blue, vibrant green with red accents, and burnt orange alongside electric blue - Förg translates painterly gesture into print, creating a dialogue between spontaneity and structure.

Executed on Rives BFK rag paper, these prints exemplify Förg’s interest in texture, layering, and the architectural possibilities of abstract form. As part of his celebrated late 1990s output, Coda encapsulates the artist’s exploration of minimal means to achieve maximum visual resonance, aligning his practice with both modernist traditions and a distinctly contemporary sensibility.

Günther Förg (1952-2013), a distinguished German abstract artist, left an indelible mark on the postwar art scene with his comprehensive body of work that spanned painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture. At the heart of Förg’s practice were his painting and printmaking, through which he embarked on a profound exploration of Modernism‘s legacy, aiming to forge a new iconography reflective of the contemporary zeitgeist. His artwork frequently engaged with and referenced movements such as Russian Constructivism, Italian Rationalism, Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism, showcasing his deep reverence for and critical engagement with the history of art. Günther Förg’s journey into abstraction and monochrome painting set him apart from the figurative painting trend then prevalent in Germany. His experimental approach was most vividly expressed in his celebrated lead series—acrylic paintings on lead sheets, mounted on wooden frames—that exemplified his innovative blurring of the boundaries between painting and sculpture, propelling the medium towards object-making. This series, in particular, underscored his unique ability to manipulate traditional materials in unexpected ways, challenging viewers’ perceptions and expectations of what painting could be. In his printmaking practice, Günther Förg demonstrated the same level of conceptual rigor and aesthetic innovation, extending his exploration of abstraction, color, and form. His prints are marked by a distinctive use of color blocks, geometric shapes, and layered textures, further enriching his investigation into the potentials of visual language and its capacity to convey complex ideas and emotions. Förg’s artworks, characterized by their intellectual depth and formal inventiveness, have been celebrated in major art institutions worldwide, including the Dallas Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Brandhorst (Munich), Fondation Beyeler (Basel), Kunstmuseum Basel and the Museo Reina Sofía (Madrid).