From the inception of his art career in 1968, Knoebel's work has been consistently driven by a quest to pare painting (and art generally) back to its absolute essentials. From an interest in readily available, humble materials to the manner in which colours can relate to other colours to create works of meditative intensity, his is an art that has always tried to distil and simplify, rather than become more complex.
Our art expert, Nicholas Robinson, and your host Jeppe Curth guide us through Knoebel's life and career, from his family's dramatic exodus from post-war Communist East Germany to the West, to his education at the Werkundschule in Darmstadt where he learned from the legendary 'preliminary class' formulated by Mohly-Nagy at the Bauhaus some 40 years earlier, to his final studies at the legendary Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf. Learn how his art production has retained remarkable consistency, from his very first major work, 1968's Raum 19, made under the mentorship of Joseph Beuys, to today's serial bodies of work that occupy themselves with the very same concerns of material, line, form and colour. Knoebel has influenced several generations of artists in the manner he has developed (and lived up to) these highly personal and literal notions of 'minimalism'. Now one of the senior statesmen amongst the art world's non-objective practitioners, his sheer artistic integrity and consistency enables us to trace his lineage all the way back to the founding antecedents of Mandarin and Malevich.
Further details of this episode focus on how his work has both captivated the art market and cemented his place in art history. We explore the history and trajectory of his place in today's behemoth art market, sampling a large data set to make a case for an altogether different kind of consistency: that of market value and growth over a sustained period of time. Once again, The Collector's Edge enables listeners to gain insights into Knoebel's enduring legacy and the market dynamics that continue to elevate the significance of his contributions to 20th-century abstract art.
Episode Artwork: Imi Knoebel, Anima Mundi 31-5, 2023, Acrylic on Aluminum, In 5 parts (Each: 37 x 29 x 5.8cm), (Detail). Image courtesy, Nordic Art Partners, ©Imi Knoebel