Günter Fruhtrunk (1 May 1923 – 12 December 1982) was a German geometric abstract

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and

printmaker Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...

whose work relates to

op art Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions. Op artworks are abstract, with many better-known pieces created in black and white. Typically, they give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images, ...

. 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 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 Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painter, sculptor, and filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually modified into a more figurative, po ...

and

Jean Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Str ...

. 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. 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, Dortmund, Germany (solo) * 1968 –

34th Venice Biennale The 34th Venice Biennale, held in 1968, was an exhibition of international contemporary art, with 34 participating nations. It took place in Venice, Italy. Winners of the Golden Lions Awards (Grand Prizes) included British painter Bridget Riley, ...

, Venice, Italy * 1968 –

4. documenta 4. documenta was the fourth edition of documenta, a quinquennial contemporary art exhibition An art exhibition is traditionally the space in which art objects (in the most general sense) meet an audience. The exhibit is universally understoo ...

, 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 Lich ...

, 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 an ...

, Zurich, Switzerland * 2006 – Conversation with Art, on Art, Bauhaus to Contemporary Art, Tokyo Opera City 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 fou ...

, 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