Heinz Mack

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Heinz Mack (2011)
Heinz Mack 2008

Otto Heinz Mack (born March 8, 1931 in Lollar , Hessen ) is a German sculptor and painter and co-founder of the internationally influential ZERO group. Mack became known for his experimental light reliefs and his light installations in the desert, which are among the earliest examples of Land Art . He is a multiple documenta participant and represented Germany at the Venice Biennale in 1970 .

life and work

Heinz Mack was born in Lollar, Hesse, in 1931. From 1950 he studied at the Art Academy in Dusseldorf , from 1953 philosophy at the University in Cologne . He completed his training with the state examination in art education and philosophy in 1956.

Heinz Mack: Water sculpture , Münster , Himmelreichallee, June 2006
Heinz Mack photographed by Lothar Wolleh ( ca.1970 )

Together with Otto Piene , he moved into a studio in Gladbacher Strasse 69 in Düsseldorf in 1955. For Heinz Mack, this time was artistically groundbreaking and shaped by constant experimentation with material, light and movement. In addition to the dynamic structures in painting, Mack created numerous sculptural works such as vibrating light reliefs , monumental light steles or light-reflecting cubes. From 1958, the first so-called rotors were created , in which elements with relief structures are moved by motors. In addition to light, movement also played a central role in his work and made him one of the main representatives of kinetic art .

On April 11, 1957, Mack organized the first evening exhibition together with Piene in the studio on Gladbacher Strasse. The ZERO group, initiated by Otto Piene and Heinz Mack, emerged from this series of events . The term “ZERO” was coined in autumn 1957; The official founding event, however, is usually the 7th evening exhibition held on April 24, 1958, which was entitled The Red Image and at which the first issue of the ZERO magazine appeared. In the same year Mack took part in documenta II . Günther Uecker joined the group in 1961 as the third core member. From 1961, Mack worked on the light mills with Uecker and Piene . In 1964, Mack took part in documenta III in Kassel with Piene and Uecker , where they showed the light room (Hommage à Fontana) , which is now in the collection of the Museum Kunstpalast , Düsseldorf .

In 1959 Mack formulated the so-called Sahara Project and from 1962/63 installed his Jardin artificiel several times in the deserts of Africa, consisting of sand reliefs, cubes, mirrors, wing reliefs, sails, flags and monumental light steles. In 1968, the much acclaimed and award-winning film Tele-Mack was made , in which Mack experimentally researches and documents the energy and power of light. For this purpose, Mack visited the Tunisian desert together with director Hans Emmerling . In 1976 he traveled to the Grand Erg Oriental in Algeria and for the first time to the Arctic to realize his utopian projects and ideas . There he expanded the repertoire of his sculptural objects to include floating plexiglass bodies, light flowers, prismatic pyramids, ice crystals and fire rafts. In the same year he and the photographer Thomas Höpker published the book Expedition in artificial gardens , in which photos of the artistic journey to the Algerian desert and the Arctic are captured.

In 1970 Mack was represented at the Venice Biennale with the German contribution (together with Thomas Lenk , Georg Karl Pfahler and Günther Uecker ). In the same year he received a professorship for a teaching position in Osaka ( Japan ) and became a full member of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin , of which he was a member until 1992. In 1977 the artist again took part in the Kassel documenta . As a full member of the German Association of Artists, Mack took part in many annual exhibitions of the DKB between 1961 and 1986.

In September 1984, Mack lost his studio in Mönchengladbach in the listed half-timbered house, the Huppertzhof , in a fire, with many works of art being damaged or destroyed. At that time, a Mack collection of works of art by important artist friends such as Joseph Beuys , Piero Manzoni , Yves Klein and Lucio Fontana , which were then only "restored" - and initially sold to the art dealer Helge Achenbach , was damaged . Achenbach, however, returned it to Mack a short time later, as the authorship of the works was questioned because of alleged reworking and retouching. Mack contradicted the representation of Achenbach.

In December 2008 the ZERO foundation was established with the aim of preserving, researching and promoting the central topics and aspects of ZERO. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York opened a major ZERO exhibition in October 2014, which was presented in 2015 in the Martin-Gropius-Bau ( Berlin ), the Stedelijk Museum ( Amsterdam ) and the Sakip Sabanci Museum ( Istanbul ). In total, this group exhibition was visited by almost 700,000 art lovers.

In June 2014 the sculpture ensemble The Sky Over Nine Columns was unveiled on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice . The nine pillars, each eight meters high, are covered with over 850,000 gold-plated mosaic stones. From September 2015 to May 2016, the pillars in front of the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul shone with a view of the Bosphorus . From June to November 2016 they could be seen in Valencia in the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias , where they corresponded impressively with the futuristic architecture of Santiago Calatrava . From December 2016 to April 2017 the sculpture ensemble was presented on the shores of Lake St. Moritz in the Swiss Engadine .

In the summer of 2015, the Academy Senate of the State Art Academy in Düsseldorf unanimously voted the artist an honorary member. Furthermore, in 2015 there were three comprehensive solo exhibitions at the Museum Frieder Burda ( Baden-Baden ), the Ulmer Museum ( Ulm ) and the Museum Küppersmühle ( Duisburg ). In 2016, the Sakip Sabanci Museum in Istanbul devoted a comprehensive solo exhibition to Mack. In 2018, a special exhibition on Mack and Goethe followed in the Goethe Museum ( Düsseldorf ). In 2019, Mack's first exhibition on the African continent took place at the Musée Théodore Monod d'art africain in Dakar , Senegal .

Heinz Mack designed numerous monumental sculptures for public spaces, such as:

  • Sculpture for Heaven (1976), at the University Library of the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich
  • Water sculpture (1977), Münster
  • Identification plastic (1979), Osnabrück
  • Columne per Caelo (1984), Roncalliplatz, Cologne
  • Lichtpfeiler (1983–1987), at the Europa-Center , Berlin
  • Large stele (1989–1990), in front of the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart
  • Light stele in the Arabian desert (1997)
  • Seven steles (2000), in front of the mortgage bank in Essen
  • Wall design for the Bertelsmann headquarters, Unter den Linden zu Berlin (2003)
  • Big vertical rhythm (2008), in front of the Stadtsparkasse Langenfeld (Rhineland)

Light is the central theme in Heinz Mack's non-representational art. His work has been made accessible to the public in around 400 solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions. His works are represented in 140 public collections. A large number of books, catalogs and two films document his work. Today the artist lives in Mönchengladbach and Ibiza .

Awards

Exhibitions

photos

  • Raumkeile , Granit (1978), Königsallee, Düsseldorf

  • Dreisegelbrunnen , German Unity Square, Düsseldorf

  • Sculpture for the Sky (1976), University Library of the University of the Federal Armed Forces, Munich

  • Heinz Mack: Identification Plastic (1979), Osnabrück

  • Columne per Caelo (1984), Roncalliplatz, Cologne

  • Great vertical rhythm (2008), Stadtsparkasse Langenfeld (Rhineland)

  • Wassertor (2001), fountain in front of the arcades, Berlin-Spandau

Quotes

  • Heinz Mack 1961: “… The open and deep space, which does not want to find its boundaries in the horizon, is the free sphere for my eyes to gaze, which rushes through near and far directionless, unintentional and without heaviness until my gaze closes returns to me. The experience of vastness stays with me. In such rooms the clarity of light and the abundance of calm spread constantly. The light gives the room its sensuality, its atmosphere, its transparency. The light makes the room light… ” .
  • Dieter Honisch 1970: “… The opening up of the concept of art and at the same time its restriction to the visible, to the moment in which fascination occurs, is undoubtedly Mack's personal achievement and independent of ZERO. It is precisely this finiteness, this (r) 'superficiality' and anonymity in the formal that are the prerequisites for space and time in their infinity and infinity to be represented in Mack's works… ” .

literature

  • Robert Fleck, Antonia Lehmann-Tolkmitt: Heinz Mack. An artist of the 21st century , Munich: Hirmer 2019, ISBN 978-3-7774-3302-8 .
  • MACK - TRANSIT between Occident and Orient. Fascination and inspiration of Islamic culture. A work aspect 1950–2006. Exhibition catalog Museum for Islamic Art / Pergamon Museum Berlin. Cologne 2006. ISBN 3-8321-7756-6 , with selected bibliography.
  • Theo Rommerskirchen: Heinz Mack . In: viva signature si! Remagen-Rolandseck 2005, ISBN 3-926943-85-8 .
  • Beate Reifenscheidt (ed.): Light of the zero time: Heinz Mack . Kerber, Bielefeld 2009, ISBN 978-3-86678-334-8 .
  • Heinz Mack. Light - space - color. Exhibition catalog Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn. Cologne 2011, ISBN 978-3-940953-72-8 .
  • Mack. The language of my hand. Exhibition catalog Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf. Ostfildern 2011, ISBN 978-3-7757-2978-9 .
  • Heinz Mack. One time several times. Exhibition catalog Galerie Geiger. Constance 2011, ISBN 978-3-9809227-5-3 .
  • Visual affinities in the work of Heinz Mack - sculptures, reliefs, hand drawings, collages, photos. Exhibition catalog Galerie Neher Essen, ed. v. Karl Ruhrberg, with texts by Bernhard Kerber, Georg-W. Költzsch, Annette Kuhn, Heinz Mack, Karl Ruhrberg, Siegfried Salzmann and Heiner Stachelhaus, Stuttgart 1989, ISBN 3-89322-133-6 .
  • O - Zero, Mack, Piene , Uecker , introduction by Wieland Schmied , Kestner-Gesellschaft Hannover 1965.
  • Heinz-Norbert Jocks: The ear at the crime scene, Heinz-Norbert Jocks in conversation with Gotthard Graubner, Heinz Mack, Roman Opalka, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker . Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern 2009, ISBN 978-3-7757-2509-5 .
  • Dieter Honisch / Museum Folkwang Essen (ed.): Lenk mack pfahler uecker, XXXV biennale di venezia padiglione tedesco, Essen and Stuttgart 1970. Exhibition catalog of the German pavilion of the XXXV. Venice Biennale 1970, in it 4 individual issues with articles by Dieter Honisch, Thomas Lenk , Heinz Mack, Georg Karl Pfahler and Günther Uecker, with original graphics, studio and exhibition photos.

Web links

Commons : Heinz Mack  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Heinz Mack - Zero. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  2. ^ ZERO Foundation. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Heinz Mack - Desert and Arctic. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  4. ↑ kuenstlerbund.de: Exhibitions since 1951 ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed October 6, 2019)
  5. ↑ Hans Platschek : Worse than your own death. In: Die Zeit, No. 39 , September 21, 1984, p. 58 , accessed on March 27, 2011 .
  6. ↑ dpa text: Doubt about authenticity. Achenbach returned the Mack art collection. In: Monopoly magazine. November 18, 2019, accessed November 19, 2019 .
  7. ^ Dpa report: Artist Mack defends himself against accusations of fraud in: Süddeutsche Zeitung from November 23, 2019
  8. ↑ ZERO foundation. Retrieved on May 9, 2019 (German).
  9. ^ Roberta Smith: 'Zero,' a Look at a Movement, at the Guggenheim . In: The New York Times . October 9, 2014, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed May 9, 2019]).
  10. ^ Heinz Mack: The Sky Over Nine Columns. Retrieved May 9, 2019 (American English).
  11. ↑ The Sky Over Nine Columns - Heinz Mack's golden columns in Valencia. In: ArcDog. July 24, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2019 (American English).
  12. ↑ Light catcher on Lake St. Moritz - Heinz Mack is a guest. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  13. ^ RP ONLINE: Düsseldorf: Zero artist Heinz Mack honorary member of the academy. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  14. ↑ Heinz Mack - Solo exhibitions (selection). Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  15. ^ "MACK. Just Light and Color" | SSM. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  16. ^ RP ONLINE: Düsseldorf Goethe Museum: In Macks Kosmos. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  17. ^ Heinz Mack exhibition in Senegal. February 25, 2019, accessed May 9, 2019 .
  18. ^ Heinz Mack: Wasserplastik ( Memento from May 28, 2009 in the Internet Archive ). City of Munster. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  19. ↑ Heinz Mack: Lichtpfeiler  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Sculpture in Berlin@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.bildhauerei-in-berlin.de  
  20. ↑ Heinz Mack: Large stele . Sculpture tour of the New Mercedes-Benz Museum, Stuttgart
  21. ^ Heinz Mack - Short biography: Heinz Mack - Sculptor and painter. Retrieved May 9, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Merit holders since 1986. State Chancellery of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, accessed on March 11, 2017 .
  23. ^ Artist Heinz Mack receives Federal Cross of Merit Zero artist Heinz Mack receives Federal Cross of Merit . welt-online from December 8, 2011, accessed on December 8, 2011
  24. ↑ Heinz Mack receives the highest award in Düsseldorf. Deutschlandradio Kultur, June 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ Solo exhibitions: Heinz Mack, Galerie Lauter 1981. Retrieved on March 4, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Solo exhibitions: Heinz Mack, Galerie Lauter 1985. Retrieved on March 4, 2020 .
  27. ^ Heinz Mack, Lauter Gallery. Retrieved March 4, 2020 .
  28. ↑ Heinz Mack - Light of the ZERO time . August 30 to November 1, 2009, Ludwig Museum Koblenz
  29. ↑ Exhibition review , accessed on July 17, 2016
  30. ↑ Visitor information on the exhibition / exhibition flyer ( Memento from February 11, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.2 MB), accessed on October 6, 2019.
  31. ^ Heinz Mack | W&K gallery. Retrieved August 3, 2018 .
  32. ^ Beck & Eggeling GmbH
  33. ^ Christian Gartmann AG
  34. ↑ quoted from Dieter Honisch / Museum Folkwang Essen (ed.): Lenk mack pfahler uecker, XXXV biennale di venezia padiglione tedesco, Essen and Stuttgart 1970, booklet "mack" p. 4.
  35. ↑ quoted from Dieter Honisch / Museum Folkwang Essen (ed.): Lenk mack pfahler uecker, XXXV biennale di venezia padiglione tedesco, Essen and Stuttgart 1970, booklet "mack" p. 2
personal data
SURNAME Mack, Heinz
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mack, Otto Heinz (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German artist and experimenter in the spectrum of colored light
DATE OF BIRTH March 8, 1931
PLACE OF BIRTH Lollar , Hessen