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Günther Förg, Untitled, 1989, cast bronze, 250 x 32 x 32 cm.; 98 3/8 x 12 5/8 x 12 5/8 in.

Günther Förg

Untitled

Günther Förg’s characteristically monolithic bronze steles follow his experiments with reliefs initiated in 1983, marking a significant increase in scale. Often suggestive of figures, Förg’s steles emerge from their bases in varying forms, both thick and slender. These forms were moulded from plaster ― as per Förg’s other works in bronze. Across their tactile surfaces, one can find lines, hatches, scrapes and other expressive marks made with a palette knife, as well as the artist’s own hands, which contrast the perceived rigidity of the bronze. Recalling Förg’s solo exhibition at Galerie Max Hetzler in 1988, which comprised bronze reliefs, steles and masks, curator and writer Lisa Le Feuvre likens them to “ancient stone slabs”, which “appeared to grow from the ground, like a forest encouraging us to look up, to feel the physical presence of looking”, before concluding: “Firmly planted, these steles seemed to be monumental markers connected to the body, or headstones ― that reminder of the limits of a life.”

Günther Förg, Untitled, 1989, cast bronze, 250 x 32 x 32 cm.; 98 3/8 x 12 5/8 x 12 5/8 in.

Günther Förg, Untitled, 1989
cast bronze
250 x 32 x 32 cm.;
98 3/8 x 12 5/8 x 12 5/8 in.