German abstract pioneer Karl Otto Götz dies at 103
Karl Otto Götz, an influential artist in the Abstract Informel movement, passed away at the age of 103 on August 19, 2017, in Niederbreitbach, Rhineland. He was born on February 22, 1914, in Aachen and began creating abstract art in the 1930s, though he had to conceal his work during the Nazi era. Serving as a signals officer during WWII, he explored techniques with exposed film. After the conflict, Götz returned to experimental art and became the first German artist to join the CoBrA group in 1949. He established the Quadriga group in 1951, bringing Art Informel to Germany. In 1958, he was invited to the Venice Biennale and became a professor at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1959. In 1997, he co-founded the KO Götz and Rissa Foundation.
Key facts
- Karl Otto Götz died on August 19, 2017, in Niederbreitbach, Germany, at age 103.
- He was born in Aachen on February 22, 1914.
- He was a leading German post-war artist and pioneer of Abstract Informel.
- He was the first German member of the CoBrA group, joining in 1949.
- He founded the Quadriga group in Frankfurt in 1952.
- He exhibited at the 1958 Venice Biennale and Documenta II in 1959.
- He was appointed professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf in 1959.
- His early radar experiments influenced Nam June Paik, founder of video art.
Entities
Artists
- Karl Otto Götz
- Christian Dotremont
- Constant Anton Nieuwenhuys
- Karel Appel
- Corneille
- Otto Gries
- Heinz Kreutz
- Bernard Schultze
- Georg Baselitz
- Nam June Paik
- Rissa (Karin Martin)
- Man Ray
- Niccolò Lucarelli
Institutions
- CoBrA
- Quadriga
- Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
- KO Götz and Rissa Foundation
- Artribune
- Scuola di Arti Applicate (Aachen)
- Biennale di Venezia
- Documenta
Locations
- Niederbreitbach
- Rhineland
- Germany
- Aachen
- Dresden
- Frankfurt
- Düsseldorf
- Copenhagen
- Brussels
- Amsterdam
- Paris
- Norway
- Venice
- Kassel