Lot 36 | Michael Krebber | Untitled

KREBBER, MICHAEL
1954 Cologne

Title: Untitled.
Date: 1996.
Technique: Acrylic, oil and varnish on printed fabric.
Measurement: 81,5 x 54cm.


Provenance:
- Gallery Christian Nagel, Cologne
- Kasper König Collection, Berlin

Exhibitions:
- London Projects 1996 (label verso)
- Villa Arson, Nizza 1997
- Kunstverein München 1997
- Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin 2005/06

Literature:
- Sanchez, Michael: Michael Krebber, Catalogue Raisonné, vol. 1, Cologne 2022, cat. rais. no. 123, ill.

Cologne art scene
Michael Krebber was born in Cologne in 1954 and is a German conceptual artist and painter. He studied under Martin Kippenberger and Georg Baselitz and has made a name for himself over the course of his career with his anti-academic stance and refusal to engage with the traditional art market. Krebber has been firmly anchored in the Cologne art scene since the 1980s with exhibitions and projects with artists such as Cosima von Bonin, whom he married in 1992, and Jutta Koether. He has lived in New York since 2016.

Gestural composition
The work shows a composition by Michael Krebber that is characterised by a minimalist and at the same time conceptual approach. The work consists of a surface with blue and green checks, which is interrupted by irregular black colour spots and splashes. These splashes of colour appear random and could be interpreted as a deliberate exploration of the idea of the 'gestural' in painting. In the lower part of the painting, shadowy, sketchy forms can also be recognised, which could be reminiscent of landscapes or figures, but remain abstract. This painting fits perfectly into the oeuvre of Krebber, who often explores painting as a medium and questions the conventions of painting. His approach is often ironic and self-reflexive, exploring the boundaries between art and non-art and between seriousness and parody.

König and Krebber
The relationship between Michael Krebber and Kasper König is significant, as König appointed him professor at the Städelschule in Frankfurt. Here, Krebber had a decisive influence on a generation of young artists and developed his teaching methods, which were strongly influenced by his conceptual approach and his scepticism towards traditional art institutions.