Emil Cimiotti. Denn was innen, das ist außen – Retrospektive

Emil Cimiotti (b. 1927) left his mark on post-war (West) German art as a pioneer of abstraction. His works were exhibited twice at Documenta in Kassel (1959 and 1964) and twice at the Venice Biennale (1958 and 1960). Since then, they have been shown at major exhibitions worldwide and installed in prominent locations in public spaces. His works, constructed directly in wax and cast into unique bronze pieces using the lost-wax casting process, reveal formal processes that initially opened up new expressive possibilities for sculpture within the Informel movement. From the 1960s onwards, the artist deliberately moved away from these fluid scenarios and arrived at figurative forms whose individual shapes border on the grotesque. In the 1970s and 1980s, figurative associations emerged. Cimiotti carefree transcends the still rigid boundaries between abstract and representational art that existed at the time.

The exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Cimiotti’s work over the last 60 years, featuring around 30 sculptures, numerous drawings and a selection of paper reliefs recently created in his studio in Hedwigsburg. A comprehensive catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition.

The exhibition is curated by Prof. Dr Christa Lichtenstern.