Herbert Zangs

1924 - Krefeld - 2003

Selected Works

Untitled
1980s
Untitled
1970s
Untitled (brushwork)
around 1980
Untitled (brushwork)
1980s
Untitled (brushwork)
1980s
Untitled (bubble picture)
Around 1980
Untitled (bubble picture)
1980s
Untitled (folding)
End of the 1980s
Untitled (windscreen wiper composition)
Circa 1957

Vita

27.03.1924
Herbert Zangs is born in Krefeld.
1941 - 1945
Military service. Deployments in Norway and Finland. Stayed in a military hospital in Riesenburg, West Prussia, and a lung sanatorium in Leichingen due to pulmonary tuberculosis. Stationed in Denmark from 16 July 1944. Returned to Krefeld in 1945 after a short period as a prisoner of war.
1945 - 1949
Studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Otto Pankok, Ewald Mataré, Werner Heuser, Wilhelm Schmurr and Wilhelm Herberholz, among others. Acquaintance with Günter Grass.
1950
First solo exhibition, Kaiser Wilhelm-Museum, Krefeld (with figurative works).
1951
First own studio, Düsseldorf, Künstlerhaus Sittarder Straße; journey to Paris as a guest of Dina Vierny, encounter with Wols.
1952 - 1954
Art Prize of the City of Krefeld; numerous trips, including to Paris. In addition to figurative works, in 1952/53 he created informal paintings, whitewashed "objects", "object collages", "collages", "relief paintings", from 1953 the whitewashed groups of works "Plus-Minus", "Knüpfungen", "Abdrücke", "Faltungen"; in 1954 he created white "relief paintings (informal) and "relief painting objects" (informal).
1955/56
Zangs rents a studio in Paris; acquaintance with Iris Clert; meeting Albert Camus; 1956 participation in the "Spring Salon" of the Zimmergalerie Franck. Here Zangs is given the opportunity to show white works for the first time; meets Pierre Restany.
1957
Zangs returns to colour; residency and solo exhibition in London (New Vision Centre) and rents a studio in Chelsea. Creation of "windscreen wiper series" and "windscreen wiper compositions", also described by Zangs as "vibrations", in blue.
1958 - 1960
Stays in London, Krefeld, etc. Begins working with black (e.g. "Black Relief Paintings"). Beginning of friendship with Lothar Qunite; "Schwarze Knüpfungen" and "Schwarze Faltungen" (1959); work group of "Relief-Gemälde (Expansion).
1959
Stay in England. Friendship with Lothar Quinte in Krefeld.
1960
First meeting with Adolf Luther in Krefeld.
1962 - 1965
Purchases a small house in Cucuron, southern France, which remains Zang's permanent residence until 1965. From 1965 he lived in Paris (until 1978).
1968
On the occasion of an exhibition travelling to Mexico, through the USA and to New York.
1969
Stays in Toronto and New York; first action on the streets of Toronto; returns to Paris.
1972
Adolf Luther becomes aware of Zangs' early "Verweißungen", which are stored in the cellar of a Krefeld school. This rediscovery inspired Zangs to take up earlier groups of works (e.g. "object collages", "foldings", "knottings"). He backdates some of these new works.
1974
In Paris, he meets Pierre Raynaud and Emmy de Martelaere. This leads to Zang's work being recognised in France.
1975
Turning to the book as an object. Emergence of the first "anti-books".
1977
Participation in documenta 6 in Kassel with "anti-books" created in 1975-77.
1981 - 1990
In addition to the further development of older groups of works, he created groups of works such as "Pinselabwicklungen", "Grat"- and "Knitterbilder", "Blasenbilder". Zangs lives in Krefeld, Düsseldorf and, from the mid-1980s, in Xanten. Returns to Krefeld in 1990.
1990
Return to Krefeld.
1992
Leg amputations; "wheelchair pictures". After the exhibition "The New Image", a new reception of Zangs' work began in Germany and France.
1994
Badge of honour of the city of Krefeld
2003
Zangs dies in Krefeld.

Awards

1952
"Kunstpreis der Stadt Krefeld", Stadt Krefeld, Krefeld,
1957
"Stipendium des Kulturkreises im Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie", Lübeck,
1958
"1. Preis der Benjamin-Franklin-Stiftung für die Gestaltung einer Außenwand der Kongresshalle, Berlin",
1962
"Prix Europe de la peinture (Europapreis für Malerei)", Biennale Oostende, Oostende, Netherlands
1968
"Tavolozza d'oro (Goldene Palette)", Taranto, Italy
1994
"Stadtehrenplakette", Stadt Krefeld, Krefeld, Germany

Solo exhibitions (selection)

1950
"Herbert Zangs: Gemälde", Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1952
"Herbert Zangs - Tunis 1951: Ölbilder, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen", Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1956
"Herbert Zangs geboren 1924: Ein junger Künstler gibt sich Rechenschaft über sein erstes Dezenium", Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1957
"Herbert Zangs – Paintings and Drawings", New Vision Centre Gallery, London, Great Britain
1958
"New Paintings by Herbert Zangs", Drian Gallery, London, Great Britain
1958
"Scheibenwischer-Kompositionen", Obelisk Gallery, London, Great Britain
1959
"Herbert Zangs: Works on Paper", New Vision Centre Gallery, London, Great Britain
1960
"Lothar Quinte - Herbert Zangs", Märkisches Museum, Witten, Germany
1960
"Zangs - Malerei", Galerie Heymer, Bochum, Germany
1961
"Herbert Zangs - Adolf Luther", Galerie 59, Aschaffenburg, Germany
1963
"Herbert Zangs, Träger des Prix Europe Oostende 1962", Von der Heydt-Museum, Studio für Neue Kunst, Wuppertal, Germany
1963
"Herbert Zangs - Kurt Link", Düsseldorf, Kunstmuseum im Ehrenhof, Düsseldorf, Germany
1965
"Bilder von Herbert Zangs", Galerie Conzen, Düsseldorf, Germany
1967
"Herbert Zangs", Galerie 44, Brüssel, Belgium
1969
"Herbert Zangs", Center Art Gallery, New York, USA
1969
"Das soziale Sein des Planeten", Continual Centre of Science and Technology, Toronto, Canada
1970
"Herbert Zangs: Sonderausstellung aus Museumsbeständen", Kaiser Wilhelm Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1974
"Herbert Zangs", Westfälischer Kunstverein, Münster, Germany
1975
"Herbert Zangs - œuvres blanches des années 50", Galerie Stevenson & Palluel, Paris, France
1976
"Herbert Zangs: Verweißungen und Materialbilder 1952-1975", Kunstverein und Städtische Kunstsammlungen, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
1978
"Herbert Zangs: Verweißungen", Museum Wiesbaden; Mannheimer Kunstverein, Wiesbaden; Mannheim, Germany
1985
"Herbert Zangs - Arbeiten 1952 - 1962", Sprengel Museum Hannover, Hannover, Germany
1995
"Herbert Zangs: œuvres 1952-1959", Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France
1996
"Herbert Zangs", Skulpturenmuseum Glaskasten; Städtische Galerie; Leopold-Hoesch-Museum (u.a.), Marl; Lüdenscheid; Düren, Germany
1998
"Herbert Zangs", Städtische Museen Freiburg, Museum für Neue Kunst, Freiburg, Germany
1998
"Herbert Zangs", Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg, Germany
2001
"Herbert Zangs - Form und Struktur, dynamisch-rythmisch, Malerei und Skulptur", Jenaer Kunstverein, Jena, Germany
2003
"Herbert Zangs", Krefelder Kunstverein, Krefeld, Germany
2004
"Herbert Zangs: Frühe Objektverweißungen 1952/54", Westfälishes Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, Germany
2007
"Joseph Beuys / Herbert Zangs: Die Fünfziger Jahre", Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz, Liechtenstein
2007
"Accrochage Herbert Zangs de 1953 à 1954", Musée Zadkine, Paris, France
2008
"Phänomen Herbert Zangs : Werke aus den Jahren 1947 - 2003", Städtische Galerie im Park, Viersen, Germany
2012
"Herbert Zangs - Werke aus dem Nachlass", Galerie Maulberger & Becker, Düsseldorf, Germany
2013
"Herbert Zangs: Works from 1957-1989", Major Gallery, London, Great Britain
2016
"Herbert Zangs: Vom Sinn des Chaos", Galerie Maulberger, München,
2017
"Herbert Zangs: Vom Sinn des Chaos", Museum für Aktuelle Kunst - Sammlung Hurrle, Durbach, Germany
2022
"Herbert Zangs. Arbeiten mit Weiß", Krefelder Kunstverein, Krefeld, Germany
2025
"Herbert Zangs: Die Realität ist das Fantastische", Emil Schumacher Museum Hagen; Kunsthalle Schweinfurt, Hagen; Schweinfurt, Germany

Group exhibitions (selection)

1949
"Kunst des Niederrheins 1949", Kaiser Wilhelm-Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1952
"Kunst des Niederrheins 1952", Kaiser Wilhelm-Museum, Krefeld, Germany
1956
"Frankfurter Frühjahrssalon", Zimmergalerie Franck, Frankfurt a.M.,
1956
"Gruppe 53", Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
1957
"Mostra Nazionale di Pittura - X Premio Lissone 1957", Museo d'Arte Contemporanea, Lissone, Italy
1957
"Micro-Salon d'Avril", Galerie Iris Clert, Paris, France
1958
"Exhibition of Graphic Action", Univision Gallery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Great Britain
1958
"Westdeutscher Künstlerbund (8. Ausstellung)", Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum, Hagen, Germany
1960
"Westdeutscher Künstlerbund (9. Ausstellung)", Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum, Hagen, Germany
1962
"Westdeutscher Künstlerbund (10. Ausstellung)", Karl Ernst Osthaus-Museum, Hagen, Germany
1965
"Licht und Bewegung - Kinetische Kunst", Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland
1973
"Sammlung Cremer - Europäische Avantgarde 1950-1970", Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
1977
"documenta 6", Kassel, Germany
1978
"The Book of the Art of Artist's Books", Museum of Contemporary Art, Teheran, Iran
1980
"Deutscher Künstlerbund - 28. Jahresausstellung: Auf Papier, mit Papier", Kunstverein Hannover; Kunstmuseum Hannover, Germany
1992
"Das offene Bild: Aspekte der Moderne in Europa nach 1945", Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte; Museum der bildenden Künste, Münster; Leipzig, Germany
1992
"Only Paper? Papier als künstlerisches Medium", Städtische Galerie Villa Zander, Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany
1993
"Azur", Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Jouy-en-Josas, France
1994
"5. Biennale der Papierkunst", Leopold-Hoesch-Museum und Papiermuseum Düren, Düren, Germany
1995
"Fluxus und Noveaux Réalistes: Sammlung Cremer", Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
1997
"L'Empreinte", Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
2012
"Minimalismus in Deutschland: die 60er Jahre (Daimler Art Collection)", Daimler Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
2012
"Aufbruch: Malerei und realer Raum", Kunstsammlungen der Ruhr Universität. Bochum; Museum Pfalzgalerie; Akademie der Künste, Berlin, Bochum; Kaiserslautern; Berlin, Germany
2019
"Aggregatzustände: das Material der Kunst von Abfall bis Zement", Sprengel Museum Hannover, Hannover, Germany

Collections

FRAC, Fond National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France
Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Oostende, Belgium
Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum, Duisburg, Germany
Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Krefeld, Germany
Adolf-Luther-Stiftung, Krefeld, Germany
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Germany
Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein
Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, Düren, Germany
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, France
Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Oostende, Belgium
Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn, Germany
Ulmer Museum, Ulm, Germany
Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany
Staatliche Museen Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin, Germany
Städtische Galerie Villa Zander, Bergisch-Gladbach, Germany
Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz, Linz, Austria