Günther Förg, Untitled 87, 1987

Why Invest in Günther Förg?
A Visionary Artist
Born in 1952 and deceased in 2013, Günther Förg emerged as one of Germany's most significant artists of the post-war generation, heralding a new era of artistic exploration and pushing the boundaries of traditional mediums. One of the defining characteristics of Förg's oeuvre is its remarkable diversity. He seamlessly moved between sculpture, painting, printmaking, photography, and drawing, often blending these mediums to create hybrid works that challenged artistic conventions. This interdisciplinary approach foreshadowed the rise of installation art, making Förg a visionary ahead of his time.

Early Years and Conceptual Foundations
He studied at The Academy of Fine Art Munich from 1973 until 1979. During these early years, Förg painted almost exclusively black monochrome acrylic paintings with a translucent gray coat, giving a veiled surface effect. These early investigations into monochrome and abstraction were the foundation of his commitment to Conceptualism against the predominant trend of figurative painting at the time.

Photography and International Acclaim
In the early 1980s, Förg temporarily abandoned painting to focus on photography, documenting significant architecture from unique perspectives. His large-format grainy photographic works achieved critical acclaim and were exhibited at major museums internationally.

Blurring Boundaries: Sculpture and Painting
In the late 1980s, Förg returned to painting but with the inclusion of new materials like wood, lead, and bronze, thus blurring the lines between sculpture and painting. When creating bronze sculptures, he treated the surface like brushstrokes, adding a painterly quality to three-dimensional artwork.

The Iconic Grid Paintings
Beginning in the 1990s, the renowned ""Gitterbilder"" (""Grid Paintings"") emerged in Förg's work. A synthesis of sorts, encompassing his experiments with Conceptualism and his research on architecture, the grid paintings created the illusion of space and structure. Later, Förg incorporated a brighter palette and a more expressive touch to his grids through the use of intersecting colors and vibrant brushstrokes.

Works on Paper and Modernist Legacy
Förg also delved into works on paper, applying acrylic, oil, and gouache onto various surfaces with gestural fluency. Working in various scales, he approached his work with gestural fluency and an improvisational hand, addressing formal and chromatic relations on a two-dimensional surface. Throughout his career, Förg remained dedicated to investigating modernism and its legacy, pushing artistic boundaries with each new exploration.

Prestigious Collections
Today, his works are in the collections of the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, the Tate Modern in London, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Broad in Los Angeles, and the Louisiana Museum of Art in Denmark, among others.

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2024
Galerie Edouard Simoens, 'Günther Förg', Knokke-Heist, Belgium
CAC Málaga, 'Günther Förg: Legacy of Modernism', Málaga, Spain
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Häuser Und Fenster', Berlin, Germany

2023
Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, 'Günther Förg: A Silence Already Filled With Noises', Frankfurt, Germany Hauser & Wirth, ‘Günther Förg: Tupfenbilder,’ London, UK
Galerie Lelong & Co., 'Peintures sur Canson', Paris, France

2022
Galerie Thomas, 'Günther Förg', Munich, Germany
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Günther Förg: Exposition Collective 1974-2007', Berlin, Germany

2021
Tarmak22, 'Günther Förg: Mostly Landscapes', Gstaad, Switzerland
Galerie Lelong & Co.,'Günther Förg: Petits Formats', Paris, France
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Günther Förg: Constellations of Color', London, UK
Hauser & Wirth, 'Günther Förg: Appearance', Los Angeles, CA
Almine Rech Gallery, 'Günther Förg: A Game of Chess', Paris, France

2020
Galerie Edouard Malingue, 'Günther Förg: 1986-1992', Hong Kong
Galerie Lelong, 'Günther Förg: ""Standomi un giorno solo a la fenestra...”', Paris, France
Galerie Bärbel Grässlin, 'Günther Förg: Ohne Titel, 2008', Frankfurt, Germany
Hauser & Wirth, 'Günther Förg: Surface of Bronze', Zurich, Switzerland
Galerie Mikael Andersen, 'Günther Förg: Works 1988-2007', Copenhagen, Denmark

Selected Group Exhibitions
2024
Galerie Thomas, 'Diversity in Visions', Munich, Germany
Almine Rech, 'Monaco Opening Show', Monaco
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'On Paper', Paris, France
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Works from the Eighties and Nineties', Berlin, Germany
Skarstedt, 'Selected Works', Paris, France

2023
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Remembering, Envisioning, Sensing Landscape', Berlin, Germany
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'Surface Works', London, UK

2022
Galerie Thomas, 'Works on Paper - Highlights', Munich, Germany
Almine Rech, 'Dialogues', Paris, France
Hauser & Wirth, 'Chromophilia', Zurich, Switzerland
macLYON Musée d'art contemporain de Lyon, 'Une histoire de famille : Collection(s) Robelin', Lyon, France

2021
Almine Rech, 'Portraits / Abstraits', Paris, France
Almine Rech, 'Un Hiver à Paris', Paris, France
Galerie Arnoldi-Livie, 'Master Drawings 1500-1950: Kulmbach to Beckmann and Picasso. In Dialogue with works by Günther Förg and Fred Sandback', Munich, Germany
Galerie P. W. Richard, 'Sean Scully / Robert Mangold / Günther Förg / etc.', Berlin, Germany

2020
Galerie Thomas, 'Shaping Contemporary Art', Munich, Germany
Galerie Max Hetzler, 'FIAC at the gallery', Paris, France
Salon Dahlmann, 'Abstract Art from the Miettinen Collection', Berlin, Germany
Galerie Edouard Simoens, 'Summer Exhibition', Knokke-Heist, Belgium
Galerie Max Hetzler, ‘Bed and Clock, Moon and Beach: Edvard Munch’, Berlin, Germany
Hauser & Wirth, 'Stronger than Language', St. Moritz, Switzerland
Galerie Lelong, ‘Rhythms and Vibrations‘, Paris, France

Why invest in Untitled 87 Series
A Unique Medium
The dark watercolors of the series Untitled 87 convey a severity that is unusual for its medium. They remind of a glimpse out of the window where the slowly falling night or a black-painted window glass blocks the direct view of the landscape behind. Occasionally, only a few colored spots light up. Black dominates the image structure, arranging and organizing the composition, at times even dissolving it. In these works, Förg also uses figurative elements. One recognizes window frames, crosses, and even spider webs, but these could also be plain abstract forms.

Prestigious Galleries
Since 2018, the artist’s Estate has been represented by Hauser & Wirth, one of the most prestigious galleries worldwide, which has contributed to introducing Förg’s work to wider audiences and new generations internationally through exhibitions and by supporting the publication of the artist’s catalogue raisonné. From 2021 to 2024, prices have surged by +84% from selected comparable auction sales.

On the Rise
Günther Förg is ranked 119th in Artprice.com's top 500 world rankings of best-selling artists at auction in 2024 based on turnover. He was ranked 158th in 2023 and 167th in 2022. Förg is regarded as one of the most important German artists of the post-war generation. His work has received critical acclaim and recognition in the art world, making it highly sought-after among collectors and investors.

Below Market Value
Prices at auction for similar works—multiple-part watercolors on paper—have increased from $6,144/part in 2021 to $11,300/part in 2024, marking an 84% rise over 2.5 years and averaging a 34% annual increase. Additionally, the artwork offered (“Untitled 87”) was valued at a 34% discount ($7,500/part) to the current market price, providing an extra potential return of 11% annually.