Imi Knoebel

Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, Frankfurt

Acquired from the above by the present owner

Even though Imi Knoebel studied under Joseph Beuys, he drew his formative influence from Kasimir Malevich, a pioneer of geometric abstraction. His extensive oeuvre includes paintings, sculptures, photography, drawings and installations, which explore the relationship between colour and structure. Even though his early works were black and white, as can be seen in his Linienbildern series from 1966-69, Knoebel began to explore vibrant and saturated colours in 1974, together with his classmate Blinky Palermo, who he shared a studio with. Since the 1990s, Knoebel has made use of the medium of aluminum as a ground for his paintings, as in the present work. The aluminum is cut out and painted in single colours. In recent works, Knoebel is combining geometric and organic shaped panels painted in three or four colours.

AMINA MUNDI 2014-1 is a geometric abstraction that represents a complex choreography of tones and extends the colours materiality into the third dimension, due to each being painted on a different aluminum panel. A lambent field of orange is framed by four equally sized bars of petrol blue, rust-orange and a light peach colour, which creates an eclectic dance of colours and edges. Knoebel created works, making use of the same formula of painted aluminum panels, in different radiant shades that can be configured in endless varieties and create a feeling of the infinite bringing together colour and form in its endless potential.