Heinz Mack
Heinz Mack is considered one of Germany's most renowned artists and was a co-founder of the ZERO artists' movement.
Vita and reputation of the artist
Heinz Mack (*1931) studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1950-1953 at the same time as Joseph Beuys. From 1953-1956, he studied philosophy at the University of Cologne. Heinz Mack's current reputation has its origins in the late 1950s, when the artist co-founded the avant-garde movement ZERO. After his participation in the documenta in Kassel in 1959 and 1964 and the Venice Biennale in 1970 at the latest, his work gained international recognition in the 1970s.
Heinz Mack's works are presented internationally in exhibitions and can be found in the collections of numerous renowned museums. His work has been honored with many awards, including the Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Jan Wellem Ring of the City of Düsseldorf and the Moses Mendelssohn Medal. In 2008, Heinz Mack co-founded the ZERO Foundation. The artist lives and works in Mönchengladbach and Ibiza.
Heinz Mack and ZERO
In 1957, Heinz Mack and Otto Piene founded one of the most famous artist movements in art history: ZERO (1957-1966). ZERO stood for the zero hour, for a new beginning. ZERO was avant-garde. The artists of the movement wanted to break with the old. Their art was revolutionary and controversial, as it broke the established boundaries of art at the time. The artists worked with new materials that had previously not been considered worthy of art. For example, Otto Piene integrated fire, Günther Uecker nails and Christian Megert shards of mirror into the artwork. Heinz Mack worked intensively with natural resources and materials, with sand, water or light and created monumental Land Art projects.
Themes of Heinz Mack's pictures
Three central themes have persisted in Heinz Mack's work to this day - they can also be found in his pictures: the exploration of light, movement and the effect of color.
The artist on his art
"I love color as a medium in which light is expressed. How beautiful it is that we live in a colorful world. If the world were gray, I would probably never have become an artist." – Heinz Mack
Limited works / editions by Heinz Mack
Graphic works play an important role in Heinz Mack's oeuvre. The artist began working with graphic prints as early as the 1950s and has achieved artistic skill and virtuosity in this field like almost no other artist.
Heinz Mack created limited editions in the form of collages, lithographs and screen prints, among other things. He succeeds in creating a special visual depth or color intensity in his pictures.
