Rupprecht Geiger

Those familiar with Rupprecht Geiger’s work generally associate it with a specific colour – red. It runs like a concrete thread throughout his artistic oeuvre and is the basic, characteristic tone of many exhibition posters and catalogues. Red stands for life, love, power and energy. The colour itself is elemental, an independent force.

The exhibition “Rupprecht Geiger. Three Colours” with works from the Lambrecht-Schadeberg Collection presents colour field paintings from the years 1952–1998: in addition to a selection of paintings revealing Geiger’s fascination with the colour red and its chromatic variations from pink to magenta, yellow and blue paintings are being shown. Geiger sees yellow, the shade of light and the sun, as another red tone. Blue represents depth, the colour of the planet, and the immensity of space. 

Geiger is a representative of Concrete Art, making it easier to access his works. Everything we require is directly available: colour, pigment, light and form. Rectangular and oval motifs are spaced across three walls of the room. The fourth wall, the window front, is open to the light and to Unterer Schlossplatz in front of the museum. The interplay of coloured volumes and the exhibition situation creates a chromatic space that extends to incorporate our bodies, minds and the architecture, producing afterimages even with closed eyes.

Curated by Thomas Thiel