Gotthard Graubner
8.7 – 28.8 1983
In 1983, Malmö Konsthall introduced the Swedish audience to the works of Gotthard Graubner through his first solo exhibition in Scandinavia. Graubner was renowned for his “cushion paintings,” large-scale works where color was not merely applied to the surface but seemed to swell outward in organic, three-dimensional forms. His work challenged conventional perceptions of painting and the role of the canvas, inviting viewers into an experience of color as living matter – almost as if it breathed and transformed.
The exhibition built on Malmö Konsthall’s earlier presentation of Graubner’s art in the group exhibition “Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf Visits Malmö Konsthall” in 1980. His piece “Sunk Cushion” (1969) drew significant attention at the time. That painting, with its balloon-like, bulging shape, both fascinated and puzzled many visitors. In the intersection of sculpture and painting, Graubner created a sense of constant movement – as if the color had a life of its own, shifting with changes in light and the passage of time.
“I liberate color in the same way Paul Cézanne liberated form. My paintings contain no narrative. They do not offer an intellectual experience. What I want to convey is emotion. For example, I do not paint a tree, but the feeling of a tree growing—the color-space.”
Gotthard Graubner in Sydsvenska Dagbladet, July 8, 1983
Graubner’s painting was often described as monochromatic, but closer examination revealed a wealth of tonal variations that seemed to grow, expand, and contract on the surface. His technique – using two layers of linen fabric enclosing synthetic wadding – gave his paintings a three-dimensional quality that appeared almost alive.
At the 1982 Venice Biennale, Graubner achieved great success with his work “Hommage à Tintoretto”, one of the centerpiece works also featured in the Malmö exhibition. This monumental painting, measuring four by four meters, required the roof to be opened to lift it into the Konsthall – a spectacular moment that drew photographers and reporters to Malmö.
