Galerie Koch Hannover | Galerie Koch

Otto Piene is born in Laasphe, Westphalia.

Studied at the private art school "Blochererschule", Munich.

Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, under Willy Geiger.

Studies at the State Academy of Art, Düsseldorf. Acquaintance and friendship with Heinz Mack. At the same time, Piene becomes a teacher of pattern design at the Düsseldorf Fashion School in 1951.

Studied philosophy at the University of Cologne; first studio in Düsseldorf in 1955, together with Heinz Mack and others, and member of "Gruppe 53".

State examination in philosophy. In April, Piene initiates the first of the so-called "evening exhibitions" together with Heinz Mack in their Düsseldorf studio, followed by further "evening exhibitions" in 1957; at the end of May 1957, he meets Yves Klein at his exhibition "Propositions monochromes" at the Galerie Schemla, Düsseldorf, the beginning of their friendship. Creation of the first monochrome halftone paintings in yellow, then in black, silver, white and gold.

Together with Heinz Mack, founding of "Zero" on the occasion of the "7th Evening Exhibition" and publication of the catalogue magazine "Zero 1" as well as "Zero 2" for the "8th Evening Exhibition".

"Raster pictures", "light-foil montages", "photographs", "light graphics", "light models", "smoke drawings" and "graphite drawings". - First solo exhibition at Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, with presentation of the "Light Ballet". - Participates in the exhibition "Vision in Motion" organised by Jean Tinguely, Daniel Spoerri, Pol Bury and Paul van Hoeydoncks at the Hessenhuis in Antwerp; organises the exhibition "dynamo 1" with Mack at the Galerie Boukes, Wiesbaden; exchange with like-minded European artists.

Creation of the first "smoke pictures", developed from the "smoke drawings". Further occupation with the "light ballet". - Various solo exhibitions (Galerie Diogenes, Berlin; studio f, Ulm; Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf). - "9th Evening Exhibition" with presentation of the "Light Ballet" (further presentations: Berlin, Ulm and Cologne). Participation in various exhibitions, including the "Monochrome Kunst" exhibition at the Museum Leverkusen and the "festival d'art d'avant-garde" in Paris.

First "fire gouaches" and "fire pictures". Further development of the "light ballet". Günther Uecker joins the core (Piene, Mack) of "Zero". Publication of "Zero 3" together with Heinz Mack, on this occasion exhibition "Zero 3 - Edition, Exposition, Demonstration" at Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf; various solo exhibitions, including Galerie Ad libitum, Antwerp, and Galerie nota, Munich; participates in numerous international group exhibitions. Piero Dorazio and Piero Manzoni visit the artist in Düsseldorf; in Paris Piene meets Jean Tinguely, in Nice Martial Raysse and Spoerri.

Piene's "Fire Paintings" become "Fauna and Flora". Friendship with Lucio Fontana; Yves Klein exchanges a monochrome-blue painting for one of Piene's "Fire Paintings". First solo exhibition in England, McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, the Schmela Gallery shows "Fauna and Flora"; first solo exhibition in a museum (Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich); participation in international group exhibitions in Germany, Belgium ("Dynamo. Mack, Piene, Uecker", Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels), the Netherlands, Switzerland and the USA.

"Eye Pictures" and "Eye Gouaches". Drafts for the multimedia theatre piece "Die Feuerblume"; together with Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker, exhibition at Museum Haus Lange, Krefeld. Organises "Zero" exhibitions with Mack and Uecker for Ghent, San Marino (IV Biennale, Grand Prize for "Zero"), Berlin (Galerie Diogenes) and Gelsenkirchen. Several participations in exhibitions.

Participates in documenta III together with Mack and Uecker ("Zero-Lichtraum"; "Lichtmühlen"). Performance of his play "Die Feuerblume" at the Diogenes Studio Theatre. Through the mediation of Piero Dorazio, guest lecturer and head of a painting class at the Graduate School of Fine Arts at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. "Zero" première in the USA.

"Wind- und Wasserspiele"; "Lichtkörper" for the Stadttheater in Bonn; "Lichtmaschinen". Moves to New York and first solo exhibition in New York (Howard Wise Gallery).

"Light Spirits"; "Light Theatre" in New York, "The Proliferation of the Sun" (further stops in the USA and Germany); performance of "The Light Auction or New York is Dark"; "Light Sculptures". Solo exhibition at the Schmela Gallery, Düsseldorf. Last joint exhibition with Mack and Uecker: "Zero in Bonn" (Städtische Kunstsammlungen Bonn). Official dissolution of the "Zero" group at the end of November.

Fellow am Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Cambridge, MA

"Lichtdach" (University of Konstanz, entrance area) as well as several works for the outdoor area of the University of Konstanz.

Design and realisation of a "light wall" on the new building of the Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History, Münster.

Professor of Environmental Art in the Architecture Department at M.I.T., Cambridge, MA.

Artistic design of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Munich. With "Light-Satellite", Piene wins the sculpture competition for a sculpture for the Olympic Athletic Centre of the Olympic Games in Munich.

Director of the Centre for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Cambridge, MA. Develops the art form "Sky Art", realises "Sky Events", projects, performances and "Sky Art" conferences; repeatedly receives public commissions.

Installation of the light room "Hommage à Fontana" (1964, documenta III) by Piene, Mack and Uecker in the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf in the Ehrenhof, Düsseldorf.

Commission and realisation of a "light room" for the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.

Piene installs a permanent "light room" in the Kunstmuseum Celle, with the Robert Simon Collection.

Establishment of the Zero Foundation in Düsseldorf on the basis of works by Piene, Heinz Mack and Günther Uecker. Piene stages the sky events "Plus Léger que l'air" and "Berlin star" for the "Nuit Blanche 2008" in Paris.

1959

"Joseph-Pankofer-Preis", München, Germany

1959

"Deutscher Kunstpreis", Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Baden-Baden, Germany

1963

"1. Preis für die Gruppe Zero und Gruppe N", Biennale di San Marino, San Marino, Italy

1964

"Ehrenvolle Erwähnung (Honorable Mention)", International Young Artists Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan

1967

"International Jury Prize", The 7th International Exhibition of Graphic Arts (Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts), Ljubljana, Slovenia

1968

"Konrad-von-Soest-Preises für Bildende Kunst 1968", Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe (LWL), Germany

1968

"Resident Fellow", Center for Advanced Visual Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

1969

"Fellow", Tamarind Lithography Workshop, Los Angeles, CA, USA

1970

"1. Preis im Wettbwerb Kunst am Bau für den Neubau der Universität Konstanz", Konstanz, Germany

1987

"Verdienstorden des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen",

1994

"Ehrendoktorwürde der University of Maryland, B.C.",

1996

"Skulptur-Preis der American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York",

2003

"Joan Miró Medaille der UNESCO",

2003

"Leonardo da Vinci World Art Prize", Weltkulturrat,

2008

"Preisträger für bildende Kunst der Kulturstiftung Dortmund",

2013

"Max-Beckmann-Preis der Stadt Frankfurt a.M.", Stadt Frankfurt a.M.,

1959

"Otto Piene", Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany

1960

"Otto Piene: Ölbilder, Rauchzeichnungen, Lichtmodelle, Lichtballett", Galerie Diogenes, Berlin, Germany

1960

"Piene: ein Fest für das Licht", Galerie Schmela; Studio Otto Piene, Düsseldorf, Germany

1961

"Piene: Das Licht malt", Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen, Belgium

1962

"Piene: Fauna und Flora", Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany

1962

"Piene: Licht und Rauch", Städtisches Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany

1962

"Piene: Light and Smoke", McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, Great Britain

1963

"Otto Piene: Ölbilder und Gouachen", Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany

1963

"Die Feuerblume", Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen, Belgium

1964

"Otto Piene", McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, Great Britain

1964

"Otto Piene: Lightballet", Howard Wise Gallery, New York, USA

1967

"Otto Piene (Retrospektive)", Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany

1968

"Otto Piene", Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst- und Kulturgeschichte, Münster, Germany

1969

"Otto Piene: Elements", Howard Wise Gallery, New York, USA

1971

"Otto Piene: Bilder, Feuergouachen und Graphik 1957-1967", Galerie Heseler, München, Germany

1973

"Otto Piene", Kölnischer Kunstverein, Köln, Germany

1974

"Otto Piene: Sky Art", Städtische Galerie Erlangen und Kunstverein Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany

1974

"Otto Piene: Paintings, Gouache, Drawings", Hayden Gallery und Center for Advanced Visual Studies (MIT), Cambridge/MA, USA

1976

"Otto Piene", Galerie Schoeller, Düsseldorf, Germany

1988

"Otto Piene und das CAVS", Badischer Kunstverein, Karlsruhe, Germany

1993

"Otto Piene: Sky Art", The MIT Museum Compton Gallery, Cambridge/MA, USA

1993

"Otto Piene: Sky Art", Galerie d'Art International Paris, Paris, France

1996

"Otto Piene: Retrospektive 1952-1996", Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

2003

"Die Sonne kommt näher: Otto Piene, Frühwerk", Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Siegen, Germany

2007

"Otto Piene: Verwandlung (Retrospektive der Keramik)", Hetjens Museum, Düsseldorf, Germany

2008

"Otto Piene: Spectrum", Museum am Ostwall, Dortmund, Germany

2010

"Le Rouge et le Noir", Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren, Germany

2012

"Otto Piene - a retrospektive; paitings, ceramics, light ballets, inflatables", The Mayor Gallery, London, Great Britain

2013

"Otto Piene: Energiefelder", ZKM Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany

2013

"Otto Piene: Zero, Werke 1957-1966", Galerie Koch, Hannover, Germany

2013

"Graphitzeichnungen", Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany

2014

"Otto Piene: More Sky", Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany

2015

"Otto Piene: Licht", LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur, Münster, Germany

2015

"Otto Piene: Rainbow", Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran

2019

"Otto Piene: Feuerbilder aus der Sammlung Kemp", Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany

2019

"Otto Piene: Alchimist und Himmelsstürmer", Arp Museum Bahnhof Roseneck, Remagen, Germany

2020

"Otto Piene - Die Sonne kommt näher", Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, Switzerland

"Mack, Piene, Uecker", Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (Museum Haus Lange), Krefeld, Germany

1957

"1. Abendausstellung", Atelier Otto Piene, Düsseldorf, Germany

1957

"4. Abendausstellung", Atelier Otto Piene, Düsseldorf, Germany

1958

"7. Abendausstellung: Das rote Bild", Atelier Otto Piene, Düsseldorf, Germany

1958

"8. Abendausstellung: Vibration", Atelier Otto Piene, Düsseldorf, Germany

1959

"Vision in Motion - Motion in Vision", Hessenhuis, Antwerpen, Belgium

1959

"Dynamo 1", Galerie Boukes, Wiesbaden, Germany

1959

"documenta II", Kassel, Germany

1960

"Monochrome Malerei", Städtisches Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany

1961

"Bewogen Beweging", Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1961

"II Biennale de Paris", Paris, France

1961

"Zero 3 - Edition, Exposition, Demonstration", Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany

1962

"Nul", Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1962

"Dynamo: Mack, Piene, Uecker", Palais des Beaux Arts, Brüssel, Belgium

1963

"Zero - der neue Idealismus", Galerie Diogenes, Berlin, Germany

1964

"documenta III", Kassel, Germany

1964

"Zero/Nul. Mack, Piene, Uecker", Haags Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands

1964

"Group Zero: Mack, Piene, Uecker", Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

1964

"Zero: Mack, Piene, Uecker", Howard Wise Gallery, New York, NY, USA

1964

"Group Zero: Mack, Piene, Uecker", McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, Great Britain

1964

"Zero", New Vision Center, London, Great Britain

1965

"Zero: An Exhibition of European Experimental Art", The Washington Gallery of Modern Art, Washington/DC, USA

1965

"Zero: Mack, Piene, Uecker", Kestner Gesllschaft, Hannover, Germany

1965

"Licht und Bewegung", Kunsthalle Bern; Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brüssel; Staatl. Kunsthalle Baden-Baden (weitere Stationen), Bern; Brüssel; Baden-Baden; Düsseldorf,

1966

"Zero in Bonn: Mack, Piene, Uecker", Städtische Kunstsammlungen Bonn, Bonn, Germany

1966

"Avantgarde Zero 1966", Galleria Associazione Zen; Galleria Il Segno, Brescia; Rom, Italy

1967

"Biennale", Venedig, Italy

1968

"Light Sculpture", Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland/OH, USA

1971

"Earth, Air, Fire, Water: Elements of Art", Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston/MA, USA

1972

"8th International Biennal Exhibition of Prints", National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, Japan

1974

"Painting of the Twentieth Century", Tate Gallery, London, Great Britain

1976

"Zero: Mack, Piene, Uecker und ihre Freunde", Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen, Köln, Germany

1977

"documenta VI", Kassel, Germany

1979

"Zero: Bildvorstellungen einer europäischen Avantgarde 1958-1964", Kunsthaus Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

1979

"Zero Internationaal Antwerpen", Koniklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerpen, Belgium

1984

"Aufbrüche, Manifeste, Manifestationen", Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

1985

"Mehr Licht", Kunsthalle Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

1985

"German Art in the 20th Century", Royal Academy of Arts, London, Great Britain

1986

"1945-1985. Kunst in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland", Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany

1988

"Stationen der Moderne", Berlinische Galerie; Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin, Germany

1988

"Bilder für den Himmel: Kunstdrachen", Miyagi Art Museum; Museum of Modern Art, Sendai; Shiga, Japan

1989

"Bilder für den Himmel: Kunstdrachen", Haus der Kunst, München, Germany

1991

"Zero", Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

1992

"Zufall als Prinzip", Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany

1994

"Light, Time, Space - 25 Years of CAVS", MIT Museum and the Center of Advanced Visual Studies, Cambridge/MA, USA

1997

"Zero International", Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain, Nizza, France

2000

"Times are changing - Auf dem Wege! Aus dem 20. Jahrhundert", Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, Germany

2002

"Von ZERO bis 2002", ZKM - Museum für Neue Kunst und Medienmuseum, Karlsruhe, Germany

2003

"Berlin-Moskau/Moskau-Berlin 1950-2000", Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Tretjakow-Galerie, Moskau; Historisches Museum, Moskau,

2004

"Beyond Geometry: Experiments in Form, 1940s-1970s", Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Miami Art Museum, Miami, USA

2006

"Zero: Internationale Künstler-Avantgarde der 50er/60er Jahre", Stftung Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany

2007

"Die aufregende Kunst des 20. Jahrhunderts", Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany

2014

"Zero: Countdown to tomorrow, 1950s - 60s", Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA

2015

"ZERO - die Internationale Kunstbewegung der 50er und 60er Jahre", Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam,

Otto Piene

Selected Works

Vita

Awards

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Group exhibitions (selection)

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