Hermann Goepfert (1926-1982), Collage With Metal Application, 1965 / - Rhythm And Reflection -

Hermann Goepfert (1926 Bad Nauheim - 1982 Antwerp), Collage with metal application, 1965. Contribution no. 14 from the anthology 'La lune en rodage II' published by Editions Panderma Carl Laszlo. Sheet dimensions 13.5 cm (height) x 25 cm (length), frame 29 cm (height) x 35.5 cm (length). Signed "Goepfert." lower right.

- The originally folded collage with brown shadows of the adhesive strips, one strip detached in the right margin. The framing by F. G. Conzen somewhat rubbed.



- Rhythm and Reflection -


Four brown stripes are visible on the left side of the two-part sheet. Two of them border the image at the top and bottom, while the other two shorter stripes run parallel to them, slightly offset downward. This displacement creates a tension which, in the sequence of the stripes, is also rhythmic in nature.
On the other side of the sheet, there is an aluminum bar, also horizontally oriented, which, in relation to the opposite side, is positioned exactly in the middle between the shorter brown stripes, creating a tension between the surfaces of the stripes and the spatial body of the metal. In addition, the aluminum object has an undulating movement that is related to the rhythm of the stripes, creating a melodic effect. And the reflections of the metal form another kinetic moment in the minimalist work, which at first glance appears motionless.
With his collage, Gopfert succeeds in programmatically presenting his concept of art within the artist anthology.



About the artist

After studying at the Städelschule in Frankfurt from 1951 to 1958, Hermann Goepfert became the most important representative of the ZERO movement in Frankfurt. The name of the ZERO group, which was supported by Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker, refers both to the "zero hour" that heralds new reconstruction and to the countdown of a rocket launch, and programmatically stands for the dawn of a new era that also heralds a new era of art.
Beginning in 1960, Goepfert formulated the new artistic position with his white paintings and participated in renowned progressive exhibitions such as the groundbreaking NUL show at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and Documenta III in Kassel. He also participated in the ZERO exhibitions with the aluminum reflectors he created in 1962.
The premise that "light is form" is fundamental to his artistic work, and he also translated light into sound with his optophonies.
In 1965, together with the architect Johannes Peter Hölzinger, Goepfert founded the "Planungsgemeinschaft für neue Formen der Umwelt", thus combining art and architecture. In 1971 Goepfert moved to Antwerp, where he died in 1982.
In 1987 the Frankfurter Kunstverein organized the retrospective 'Goepfert and ZERO - ZERO and Goepfert'. 



Exhibitions (selection)

1962 NUL im Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
1964 documenta III, Kassel 
1967 Palais des Beaux Arts, Brüssel
1979 ZERO, Bildvorstellungen einer europäischen Avantgarde 1958-1964, Kunsthaus Zürich  
1987 Retrospektive Goepfert und ZERO - ZERO und Goepfert, Kunstverein Frankfurt am Main
2005 L’Œil moteur- Art optique et cinétique, 1950-1975, Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain (MAMCS), Strasbourg
2008 ZERO lebt – europäische Avantgarde der 50er und 60er Jahre, Kunsthalle Weishaupt
2011 Hermann Goepfert. Licht als Vision - Bilder und Werke aus den 1950er bis 1970er Jahren, Galerie Dierking, Köln
2015 Group show ZERO – The International Art Movement of the 50ies and 60ies, Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin
Group show ZERO – Let Us Explore the Stars, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam
ZERO: Countdown to Tomorrow, 1950s–60s, Guggenheim Museum, New York
2016 Kunst nach 1945 - 1968, Zentrum für Kunst und Medien, Karlsruhe
2017 Le socle du monde Biennale, Herning Museum of Contemporary Art, Dänemark
Hermann Goepfert - Malerisch, Dierking, Zürich
2021 Gruppenausstellung Sign 0’ the Times - Lucio Fontana, Hermann Goepfert, Jef Verheyen, Dierking, Zürich.


Selected bibliography

Beate Kemfert (Hrsg.): Hermann Goepfert, Ostfildern 2015.