The immediate physical presence of color is central to
Katharina Grosse's creative endeavor. Through an open-ended
process in which painting takes on the form of
a performance, color embodies movement, making its
sensory impact tangible. These issues not only drive her
dramatically large site-related works painted across various
surfaces in public places, they also inform her studio
paintings, which have played an equally central role in her
practice from the start. Bringing together 160 paintings,
this publication serves as the first in-depth reference book
on this important aspect of Grosse's work.
Five essays and an insightful interview with the artist
explore how Grosse expands the concept of painting¿
not just in open space, but also on canvas¿through a
variety of ways, including her disregard of the traditional
frame and her use of stencils, cut canvases, and elemental
materials.
KATHARINA GROSSE (*1961, Freiburg i. Br.) is one of the most distinguished
contemporary painters working today. After studying
painting at the art academies in Münster and Düsseldorf (1982-
1990), it was in 1998 that she first used a spraying technique for
an installation at the Kunsthalle Bern. This became a decisive
moment in her work and was essential in her ongoing experiments
with the properties of paint and the status of painting
today. She lives in Berlin and New Zealand.