Irma Blank, German artist of meditative language works, dies at 88

Irma Blank, a German artist celebrated for her contemplative paintings and drawings that delve into the realm of written language, has passed away. Born in 1934, she relocated to Sicily in 1955, where her fascination with language took root. Her early work, Eigenschriften (1968–73), consists of repetitive ink marks devoid of meaning. After her move to Milan, she produced Trascrizione, featuring hand-drawn layouts without text. In 1978, she took part in Documenta 6 and received an invitation to the Venice Biennale. She also created meditative sound pieces by recording the sound of her pen. The series Radical Writings (1983–96) marked her introduction of color. Significant solo exhibitions included Transkriptionen (1975) and Irma Blank, Breath Paintings (2014). She was represented by P420 in Bologna and Mai 36 Galerie in Zürich.