Günther Gumpert

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Günther Gumpert (born April 17, 1919 in Krefeld ; † March 22, 2019 ) was a German-American painter of informal abstraction . He lived and worked in Washington .

life and work

Adolescent years and training

Günther Gumpert, born in Krefeld in 1919 , completed his humanistic high school diploma in Krefeld and Düsseldorf . His teacher for art education in Krefeld recognizes his talent and encourages it. In 1937 Gumpert began studying art at the Werkkunstschule in Krefeld, and later in Wuppertal . Military service in France , Romania and Russia interrupted his studies. After the war Gumpert lived in Cologne . The main impetus for him from 1946 onwards is the discovery of the entire development of modernism that has been suppressed in Germany since 1933 and especially the encounter with the watercolor "Physiognomie der Trübe" by Paul Klee (WVZ 3378). He moves to Wuppertal, takes part in his first group exhibitions and works with Rolf Jahresling in the Parnass Gallery. There he met colleagues from all over the world, such as Jacques Herold and Shinkichi Tajiri .

Wandering years

From 1950 Gumpert travels to Paris , Spain , Morocco , Geneva to the sculptor Jakob Probst, Zurich , Brissago , Ramatuelle . In 1956 he set up a permanent studio in Paris (until 1967), where he cultivated friendships with Francis Bott and Johnny Friedlaender . Travels to Italy and a long hospital stay in Davos due to tuberculosis are followed by stays in Yugoslavia and Italy before he stays mostly in Rome from 1960 onwards .

America

In 1963 he traveled to the USA for the first time, where a new world opened up to him. In 1967 he definitely moved to Washington and married Anita von Kahler. Gumpert only exhibits in the USA until 1980 in a retrospective at the Parnass Gallery as a traveling exhibition in the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal and in various Goethe Institutes in France and England .

Works

Although the financial means and the unsteady life often made it impossible for Gumpert to work in a regular studio, Gumpert always painted. Mostly they are works of smaller dimensions: gouaches, oil on paper. Only in Washington did larger canvas paintings appear. The high mastery of his gouaches is recognized.

Exhibitions (selection)

Works in public collections

  • Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld
  • Victoria and Albert Museum, London
  • Roosevelt House, New Delhi
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
  • Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Santiago de Chile
  • Museo de Arte Moderno, Santo Domingo
  • The Phillips Collection, Washington DC
  • Albertina, Vienna

literature

  • Günther Gumpert: '' Gumpert ''. With texts by Wolfgang Henze and Gabriele Lohberg. Henze & Ketterer publishing house, Wichtrach / Bern, 2000

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gunther Gumpert Obituary. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  2. ↑ Source: Günther Gumpert: '' Gumpert ''. Henze & Ketterer publishing house, Wichtrach / Bern, 2000
personal data
SURNAME Gumpert, Günther
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American painter
DATE OF BIRTH April 17, 1919
PLACE OF BIRTH Krefeld
DATE OF DEATH March 22, 2019