<back tu archive		July 4 - August 17, 2007: Lenz Klotz Works on Paper Wilfrid Moser Drawings and Etchings from the Late Work
Lenz Klotz (*1925) Untitled 1972 Lithography Collection of Prints and Drawings ETH Zurich Wilfrid Moser (1914 - 1997) Untitled about 1995 Etching and Drypoint Collection of Prints and Drawings ETH Zurich		The printed works of the Basle artist Lenz Klotz (*1925) exhibit a broad range of the forms of abstract expressionism. Inspired by his role models Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky, Klotz even in his earliest works developed a unique language of form, the linear base elements of which are circles, curlicues, blots and crosses. From this vocabulary Klotz repeatedly drew new motifs, which he varied, altered and occasionally picked up years later to reinterpret according to his own system. Whether in the early etchings of the 1950s and 1960s, the many Sehkarten [seeing cards] of the 1970s, or the colourful lithographs of the 1980s and 1990s, the lines set the tone. At times they become written characters or even musical scores, and seem to lose their abstract intention. Single key images and motifs are the sources of various phases which prompted Klotz to enormous output. Here individual style phases comprising varying numbers of works are also represented. Klotz often alternated his techniques, which furthered the development of his thinking: each respective medium, whether drawing, etching or lithography, brought forth a certain uniqueness of line, and in this way changing his expressive means helped the artist to hone his idea. Well over half of Lenz Klotz's printed works are etchings; next come a large number of lithographs. Both techniques approach the immediacy of expression of drawing, and were therefore preferred by the artist. Inventive titles play with the possible meanings of an image, frequently depicting a motif in strong terms of barb or irony: "Not only for illiterates" [Nicht nur für Analphabeten] (1961), "One-sided concept" [Einsichtiges Konzept] (1989) or "That's enough" [Fertig Lustig] (2001). A generous endowment has enabled the Graphische Sammlung to give this in-depth attention to the work of Lenz Klotz. For the first time his nearly 50-year creative debate using the most diverse printing and drawing techniques is brought together in a single exhibit. Parallel to the Lenz Klotz exhibit, the drawings and etchings of Wilfrid Moser may be seen in the collection's corridor showcases. In the summer of 1999, two years after the artist's death, the Graphische Sammlung presented an overview of Moser's complete printed work. The current exhibit displays two sets of work from the artist's final creative years: the Pont Alexandre etchings and the never previously shown large-format drawings. Opening: Tuesday July 3, 2007, 18.00 Contact person: Kathrin Siebert (> e-mail)
Last update 21.6.2007_ab