Woodcut in colors. Signed and dated “imp. 17.8.2000”, as well as numbered and inscribed “2. Zustand 2/4” on the reverse. One of 4 planned copies of the second state, of which only 3 copies were printed. On handmade Kumohadamashi paper by Heizaburo Iwano. 234 x 182.5 cm. Sheet: 276 x 220 cm.
In the second state from 2000, 187 new incisions were added to the plate. Printed by Nik Hausmann, Franz Gertsch, Maria Gertsch & Druckercrew on August 17, 2000. Published by Franz Gertsch. Each print is unique in color.
- Monumental woodcut in brilliant colors and a unique character. - The finest printmaking art on precious Kumohadamashi Japan paper. - Franz Gertsch's portraits are among the artist's most sought-after woodcuts on the international auction market (source: artprice.com). - Until November 10, 2024, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Humlebæk honors the artist, who passed away in 2022, with a comprehensive retrospective.
We are grateful to the Gertsch family, Bern, for their kind support in cataloging this lot.
LITERATURE: Andrea Firmenich, Johannes Janssen (eds.), Franz Gertsch. Holzschnitte. Aus der Natur gerissen, mit einem Register der Druckgraphik 1972-2008, as a provisional catalogue raisonné by Rainer Michael Mason, Cologne 2013, no. 8 ( illustrated in black and white on p. 117, different copy).

Private collection, Switzerland (acquired directly from the artist). galerie im park, contemporary fine art, Burgdorf. Thomas Olbricht Collection, Essen. Private collection, Baden-Württemberg

The young Dominique looks at us from this monumental woodcut measuring almost two and a half meters in height and bathed in a warm yellow-orange. Despite the imposing size, her contours are soft, her gaze gentle, and her hair caresses her face in an airy manner. Features that create an enigmatic mood and set a counterpoint to the mere physical size of her appearance. With “Dominique” (1988), Franz Gertsch created a particularly striking woodcut portrait, which, in addition to its aesthetic impact, is also impressive for the elaborate production process and the use of high-quality materials. The countless small, grid-like structures the artist painstakingly cuts out of the wooden block using different gouges emerge in close-up. Most of his motifs are based on photographs. In this case, a picture of the 25-year-old teacher Dominique Sonnen served as the template. Subsequently, the artist mixes special pigment powders to create colors he uses to print on high-quality, hand-made Japanese paper made from mulberry and linen fibers by Heizaburo Iwano. In his home country, Iwano bears the honorary title “National Treasure”. The elaborate manual printing process generally only allows one copy to be printed per day. Due to the individual coloring, each copy takes on a unique character. Gertsch has been creating woodcuts independently of his paintings since 1986. He has opened up entirely new dimensions for this traditional medium with a hitherto unknown precision of execution - in both engraving and printing - and in monumental formats that push the boundaries of papermaking. [AR]

Condition report on request katalogisierung@kettererkunst.de