Franz Gertsch. Blow-Up

Franz Gertsch (1930-2022) is considered a Swiss pioneer of photorealism and a master of the modern woodcut. The retrospective Franz Gertsch. Blow-Up, which is being shown in two parts at the Kunstmuseum Bern and the Museum Franz Gertsch, offers an overview of works from more than sixty years of artistic creation: monumental paintings of the youth and music scene from the 1970s, iconic portraits of women from the 1980s, family pictures and portraits of artist friends, epic landscapes and nature photographs.

At the Kunstmuseum Bern, the focus is on the years 1956 to 2021, creating familiar insights but also shedding light on new aspects and perspectives of reception. The exhibition shows Gertsch's stylistic development and also highlights the major thematic lines and cross-connections within his oeuvre as a whole. These include the relationship between man and nature and the role of photography in painting, which have taken on a new significance today in the context of ecological and human crises and in the age of the selfie.

Curator: Dr. Kathleen Bühler

Curatorial assistance: Nina Liechti

Exhibition at the Museum Franz Gertsch

19.9.2026-28.2.2027

The Museum Franz Gertsch focuses on selected paintings and themes from the years 1970 to 2022, with a particular focus on the models Patti Smith, Luciano Castelli and Irene Staub. Gertsch painted a total of five portraits of the rock poet Patti Smith between 1978 and 1979, and thirteen paintings of Luciano Castelli between 1971 and 1977. Irene Staub belonged to Luciano Castelli's circle of friends and was known as "Lady Shiva", a high-class Zurich prostitute. In addition, large-format paintings of the models Johanna (1983-85) and Silvia (1998-2004), who were central to Franz Gertsch's work, the important landscape motifs Forest Path (Campiglia Marittima), Grasses and Sea as well as selected woodcuts will be on display.

Curator Museum Franz Gertsch: Anna Wesle

An exhibition by Kunstmuseum Bern and Museum Franz Gertsch in cooperation with Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Humlebæk and Deichtorhallen Hamburg

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