Rupprecht Geiger

1908 - München - 2009

Selected Works

Colour in the round (Blatt 6)
1969
Round black / black on bright red cold to red-orange
1968

Vita

1908
born in Munich on 26 January, son of the painter and graphic artist Willi Geiger
1923 - 1925
Relocation of the family to Madrid; travelling through Spain, to the Canary Islands and to Morocco
1926 - 1929
Studied architecture at the Munich School of Arts and Crafts under Eduard Pfeiffer
1930 - 1932
Bricklaying apprenticeship in Munich
1933 - 1935
Studied architecture at the Staatsbauschule Munich
1936 - 1940
Worked in various architectural offices in Munich, including Oswald Eduard Bieber
1940 - 1944
Military service on the Eastern Front in Poland and Russia (1941-42), deployment as a war painter in Ukraine (1943) and Greece (1944) Self-taught study of painting, war diaries and first egg tempera paintings
1948
First participation in an international exhibition abroad: Réalités Nouvelles 1948, 3ème Salon, Paris; group of works of the "shaped canvases" (until 1949) and first print editions
1949
Co-founder of the artist group ZEN 49 (until 1957)
1949 - 1960
Works as an independent architect together with his wife Monika Geiger
1951
Design of the façade at Munich Central Station as the first public commission in the field of art in architecture
1953
First solo exhibition - Modern Gallery Otto Stangl, Munich
1955
Start working with oil paint
1964
Catalogue raisonné of graphic art 1948-1964 published
1965 - 1976
Professorship for painting at the Düsseldorf State Academy of Art; Begins working with spray gun and acrylic paint ("fluorescent pigments")
1972
"Catalogue raisonné of prints 1948-1972" is published
1978
First retrospective - Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
1999
Foundation of the Rupprecht Geiger Society, Association for the Promotion of the Work of Rupprecht Geiger e.V., based in the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
2002
Germany's representative at the XXV Bienal de São Paulo
2003
"Catalogue raisonné 1942-2002, paintings and objects, architecture-related art" is published
2007
"Catalogue raisonné of prints 1948-2007" is published
2008
Numerous exhibitions and retrospectives to mark his 100th birthday, including Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus Munich, Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin, Museum für Gegenwartskunst Siegen
2009
died on 6 December in Munich

Awards

1951
"Domnick-Kunstpreis", Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
1958
"3. Kunstpreis der 1. Internationalen Triennale für farbige Original-Graphik, Grenchen", 1. Internationalen Triennale für farbige Original-Graphik, Grenchen, Grenchen, Switzerland
1959
"Salomon-Guggenheim-Preis", New York City, USA
1968
"Burda-Preis für bildende Kunst (Stifter Franz Burda)", Haus der Kunst, München, Germany
1970
"Mitglied der Akademie der Künste, Westberlin", Akademie der Künste, Westberlin, Berlin,
1979
"Ehrenmitglied der Staatlichen Kunstakademie, Düsseldorf", Staatliche Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
1983
"Mitglied der Bayerischen Akademie der Schönen Künste, München", Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, München, München, Germany
1986
"Goldmedaille der 8. Norwegischen Internationalen Grafik-Biennale, Fredrikstad", Fredrikstadt, Norway
1988
"Großer Kunstpreis Akademie der Künste, Berlin (West)", Berlin (West), Germany
1988
"Großes Verdienstkreuz der Bundesrepublik Deutschland", Germany
1989
"Kultureller Ehrenpreis der Landeshauptstadt München", Landeshauptstadt München, München, Germany
1992
"Rubenspreis der Stadt Siegen", Stadt Siegen, Siegen, Germany
1992
"Kulturpreis der Bayerischen Landesstiftung", Bayerische Landesstiftung, München, Germany
1993
"Ehrenmitglied der Akademie der Bildenden Künste, München", Akademie der Bildenden Künste, München, München, Germany
1993
"Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst", Freistaat Bayern, München, Germany
1994
"Harry Graf Kessler-Preis des Deutschen Künstlerbundes", Deutscher Künstlerbund, Germany
1998
"Goldene Ehrenmünze der Landeshauptstadt München", Landeshauptstadt München, München, Germany

Solo exhibitions (selection)

1953
Moderne Galerie Otto Stangl, München, Germany
1953
"Rupprecht Geiger: Bilder", Galerie Der Spiegel, Köln, Germany
1956
Galerie Samlaren, Stockholm, Sweden
1957
"Peintures", Galerie Iris Clert, Paris, France
1959
"Rupprecht Geiger", Galerie für Moderne Kunst, Hannover, Germany
1960
Galleria La Medusa, Rom, Italy
1966
"Rupprecht Geiger: Gemälde und Zeichnungen von 1956-1966", Haus am Waldsee, Berlin, Germany
1967
Kestner Gesellschaft, Hannover, Germany
1975
"Rupprecht Geiger: Element Rot - Das zentrale Rot", Museum Folkwang, Essen, Germany
1976
"Rupprecht Geiger. Graphik bis 1976: Tempera, Wachskreide, Graphit", Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
1977
"Rupprecht Geiger", Moderne Galerie Bottrop, Bottrop, Germany
1978
"Rupprecht Geiger: Gemälde und Zeichnungen", Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, München, Germany
1982
"Rupprecht Geiger: Druckgraphik und Zeichnungen", Städtische Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
1985
"Rupprecht Geiger: Retrospektive", Akademie der Künste, Berlin; Wilhelm Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen; Städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Germany

Group exhibitions (selection)

1968
"IV. documenta", Kassel, Germany

Collections