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Rauchzeichnung, 1961
Gouache, Ruß auf Karton
13,3 × 15,7 cm
Auf dem Unterlagekarton signiert und datiert
Provenance:
Atelier des Künstlers
Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen
Privatsammlung, Antwerpen
Privatsammlung, Belgien
Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen
Privatsammlung, Antwerpen
Privatsammlung, Belgien
Literature:
Kunst-Stücke. Eine Ausstellung auf Reisen: München - Köln - Hannover, Ausst.-Kat. Galerie Koch, Hannover 2025, Kat.-Nr. 23.
18.04.1928
Otto Piene is born in Laasphe, Westphalia.
1948/49
Studied at the private art school "Blochererschule", Munich.
1949/50
Studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, under Willy Geiger.
1950 - 1953
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.
1953 - 1957
Studied philosophy at the University of Cologne; first studio in Düsseldorf in 1955, together with Heinz Mack and others, and member of "Gruppe 53".
1957
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.
1958
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".
1959
"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.
1960
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.
1961
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.
1962
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.
1963
"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.
1964
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.
1965
"Wind- und Wasserspiele"; "Lichtkörper" for the Stadttheater in Bonn; "Lichtmaschinen". Moves to New York and first solo exhibition in New York (Howard Wise Gallery).
1966
"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.
1968 - 1974
Fellow am Center for Advanced Visual Studies (CAVS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.), Cambridge, MA
1970 - 1972
"Lichtdach" (University of Konstanz, entrance area) as well as several works for the outdoor area of the University of Konstanz.
1970/71
Design and realisation of a "light wall" on the new building of the Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History, Münster.
1972 - 1974
Professor of Environmental Art in the Architecture Department at M.I.T., Cambridge, MA.
1972
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.
1974 - 1994
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.
1992
Installation of the light room "Hommage à Fontana" (1964, documenta III) by Piene, Mack and Uecker in the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf in the Ehrenhof, Düsseldorf.
1999
Commission and realisation of a "light room" for the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin.
2001
Piene installs a permanent "light room" in the Kunstmuseum Celle, with the Robert Simon Collection.
2008
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
"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
"Piene: Licht und Rauch", Städtisches Museum Leverkusen, Schloss Morsbroich, Leverkusen, Germany
"Piene: Light and Smoke", McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, Great Britain
1963
"Otto Piene: Ölbilder und Gouachen", Galerie Schmela, Düsseldorf, Germany
"Die Feuerblume", Galerie Ad Libitum, Antwerpen, Belgium
1964
"Otto Piene", McRoberts and Tunnard Gallery, London, Great Britain
"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
"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
"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
"Otto Piene: Zero, Werke 1957-1966", Galerie Koch, Hannover, Germany
"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
"Otto Piene: Rainbow", Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran
2019
"Otto Piene: Feuerbilder aus der Sammlung Kemp", Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany
"Otto Piene: Alchimist und Himmelsstürmer", Arp Museum Bahnhof Roseneck, Remagen, Germany
2020
"Otto Piene - Die Sonne kommt näher", Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zürich, Switzerland