Günter Fruhtrunk (1 May 1923 – 12 December 1982) was a German geometric abstract painter and printmaker whose work relates to op art. Born in Munich, Fruhtrunk studied architecture at the

Technische Hochschule A ''Technische Hochschule'' (, plural: ''Technische Hochschulen'', abbreviated ''TH'') is a type of university focusing on engineering sciences in Germany. Previously, it also existed in Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands (), and Finland (, ). ...

in Munich, which he gave up after two semesters to join the army as a volunteer in the fall of 1941. In 1945, Fruhtrunk began to study privately under the painter and printmaker in Neufrach, who was a student of

Adolf Hölzel Adolf Richard Hölzel (13 May 1853 – 17 October 1934) was a German painter. He began as a Realist, but later became an early promoter of various Modern styles, including Abstractionism. Biography Hölzel was born in Olmütz. His father was ...

and

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...

. In 1954 he received a scholarship from the state Baden-Württemberg and the French government and moved to Paris to work in the studios of Fernand Léger and Jean Arp. During the 1960s the painter mainly lived and worked in France. In 1961 he received the Prix Jean Arp in Cologne and in 1966 he was awarded the silver medal of the Prix d'Europe for Painting in Ostende. In 1963 he appeared in the film documentary ''School of Paris: (5 Artists at Work)'' by American filmmaker

Warren Forma Warren Forma (November 27, 1923 - March 26, 2014) was an American filmmaker and author, best known for his "Artists at Work" documentary film series and book on European and American painters and sculptors in the 1960s and 1970s, his 1973 novel '' ...

. In 1967, Fruhtrunk began teaching at the

Academy of Fine Arts, Munich The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

. It was Fruhtrunk who transformed the ideas of

Constructivism Constructivism may refer to: Art and architecture * Constructivism (art), an early 20th-century artistic movement that extols art as a practice for social purposes * Constructivist architecture, an architectural movement in Russia in the 1920s a ...

to a colorful rhythmical pictorial world, by creating a dynamic language of form with vector-like diagonal lines arranged strictly rhythmically according to their alternating colors. His most conspicuous work was the plastic shopping bag he designed in the early 1970s for Aldi Nord; its use was discontinued in late 2018. Fruhtrunk committed suicide at the age of 59 in his studio on 12 December 1982.

Notable exhibitions

* 1960 – Galerie

Denise René Denise René (born Denise Bleibtreu; June 1913 – 9 July 2012) was a French art gallerist specializing in kinetic art and op art. Life and work Denise René took as her guiding principle the idea that art must invent new paths in order to exist ...

, Paris, France (solo) * 1963 –

Museum am Ostwall The Museum Ostwall (known as Museum am Ostwall until 2010) is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Dortmund, Germany. It was founded in the late 1940s, and has been located in the Dortmund U-Tower since 2010. The collection includes ...

, Dortmund, Germany (solo) * 1968 – 34th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy * 1968 – 4. documenta, Kassel, Germany * 1970 –

Museum Ludwig Museum Ludwig, located in Cologne, Germany, houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy ...

, Köln, Germany * 1970 – Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France (solo) * 1973 – , Germany (solo) * 2002 – Günter Fruhtrunk – Rhythme dynamic Stripes, Arithmeum, Bonn, Germany * 2005 – ,

Haus Konstruktiv Haus Konstruktiv (English: ), or Museum Haus Konstruktiv, is an arts foundation founded by private individuals in 1986 in Zürich, Switzerland. From 1987 to spring 2001, it was located at Seefeldstrasse 317 in the outer Seefeld area of Zurich and ...

, Zurich, Switzerland * 2006 – Conversation with Art, on Art, Bauhaus to Contemporary Art,

Tokyo Opera City is a skyscraper located in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. Completed in 1996, it stands 234 metres (768 feet) high and has 54 floors. The tower is the third-tallest building in Shinjuku, Tokyo and seventh-tallest in Tokyo. The closest train stat ...

Art Gallery, Tokyo, Japan * 2007 – Da Bauhaus (Agora!), Museu de Arte de São Paulo, Brazil * 2009 – Alles – , Ludwigshafen, Germany * 2011 – The Erling Neby Collection.

Henie Onstad Kunstsenter The Henie Onstad Kunstsenter is an art museum located at Høvikodden in Bærum municipality in Viken county, Norway. It is situated on a headland jutting into the Oslofjord, approximately southwest of Oslo. History The artcentre was founded ...

, Høvikodden, Norway

References

External links

Günter Fruhtrunk Society
(in German)

Karl Kreuzer (in German) {{DEFAULTSORT:Fruhtrunk, Gunter 1923 births 1982 deaths Artists who committed suicide 20th-century German painters 20th-century German male artists German male painters German abstract artists Suicides in Germany Technical University of Munich alumni Academy of Fine Arts, Munich faculty German contemporary artists 20th-century German printmakers 1982 suicides German Army personnel of World War II