Basic data

Katharina Grosse is considered one of the most important international contemporary artists. She is best known for her large-format, expansive installations and paintings.

• Born: October 2, 1961
• Place of birth: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
• Nationality: German
• Studied at: Kunstakademie Münster; Kunstakademie Düsseldorf
• Teachers: Norbert Tadeusz, Gotthard Graubner
• Similar artists: Günther Förg
• Era: Contemporary art

Grosse often works with spray paint, creating vivid and abstract landscapes that can take in both interiors and exteriors. She uses a wide range of colors and unconventional materials to create an intense and dynamic visual experience.

Biography

Katharina Grosse was born on October 2, 1961 in Freiburg im Breisgau. From 1982 to 1984 she studied fine arts at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. She then continued her studies at the Düsseldorf Art Academy, where she studied with Gotthard Graubner and Gerhard Richter. These influential artists shaped their early creative years.

In the 1990s, Grosse began to develop her characteristic way of working. She began applying paint liberally, often with spray paint, to canvases, walls, objects and landscapes. With her dynamic and expressive approach, she creates immersive, colorful worlds that captivate the viewer. Grosse not only experiments with traditional painting techniques, but also uses unconventional materials such as foam, wood or metal to create her works. She transforms ordinary spaces and landscapes into awe-inspiring and surreal environments that expand the context of the art. In addition to her large installations, Grosse also works with sculptures, drawings and digital media. Her artistic practice is characterized by a continuous search for new forms of expression and the creation of spaces that appeal to the viewer emotionally and intellectually. Katharina Grosse is an artist who has pushed the boundaries of traditional painting.

Her work is known for its vibrancy, intense colors and ability to transport the viewer to another dimension. Grosse has received numerous awards and grants throughout her career. She has exhibited in prestigious institutions and galleries worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Canada and the Venice Biennale.

Exhibitions

• 01.11.2023 – 25.02.2024 Katharina Grosse – Albertina, Vienna.
• 08.06.2023 – 29.10.2023 Embossed And Tossed – Haus des Papiers, Berlin.
• 04.05.2023 – 04.05.2024 Floating Islands – ISTANBUL MODERN.
• 22.04.2023 – 07.01.2024 Homo Ludens – Woods Art Institute (WAI), Hamburg.
• 21.03.2023 – 06.05.2023 Katharina Grosse: Touching How and Why and Where – Gagosian Gallery, Hong Kong.
• 19.03.2023 – 20.08.2023 UNTIEFEN - Werke aus der Sammlung Schaufler – SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen.
• 03.03.2023 – 25.06.2023 Katharina Grosse. Studio Paintings, 1988–2022 - Kunstmuseum Bern.
• 23.09.2022 – 23.01.2023 Katharina Grosse Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revisions, Inventions - Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis.
• 15.09.2022 – 14.01.2023 MIX & MATCH - Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich.
• 08.07.2022 – 08.01.2023 Ortswechsel - Museum Giersch, Frankfurt.
• 25.06.2022 – 31.10.2022 Mythos Wald - Das Flüstern der Blätter - Kunsthalle Emden.
• 04.05.2022 – 29.08.2022 Fugues in Color - Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris.
• 28.02.2022 – 11.07.2022 Katharina Grosse 'Chill Seeping' - SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah / SCAD Atlanta.

Awards

• 2015: Otto-Ritschl-Prize, Wiesbaden.
• 2014: Oskar-Schlemmer-Preis, Baden-Wuerttemberg.
• 2003: Fred-Thieler-Prize
• 2002: Andy Warhol Residency Award.

Films

• Think Big! – Die Künstlerin Katharina Grosse, Documentary, Claudia Müller, 3sat, 45 min, Germany 2020.

Literature

• Katharina Grosse. Studio Paintings 1988-2022, Sabine Eckmann, Berlin 2022.
• Katharina Grosse - It wasn’t us, Udo Kittelmann, Gabriele Knapstein, Ostfildern 2020.
• Wunderbild, Adam Budak, Cologne 2018.
• Katharina Grosse, Helmut Friedel, Cologne 2016.
• Katharina Grosse, Ulrich Loock, Annika Reich, Cologne 2013.

Own writings

• The Separatrix Project, Katharina Grosse, Alexander Kluge, Leipzig 2022.

Collections

Germany

• Düsseldorf - K20/K21 - Kunstsammlung Nordrhein Westfalen
• Bonn - Sammlung zeitgenössischer Kunst der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
• Berlin - n.b.k. Neuer Berliner Kunstverein -
• Frankfurt - Sammlung Deutsche Bank
• Hanover - Sprengel Museum
• Sindelfingen - SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen

France

• Paris – Centre Pompidou

Schwitzerland

• Zurich - Kunsthaus Zürich

Spain

• Salamanca - DA2 Domus Artium 2002

USA

• St. Louis - Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum

Weblinks

• Website by the artist