Gustav Kluge: Druckstöcke 1983–2018

From printing instrument to sculptural work

Printing from cut wooden blocks plays a key role in the work of the artist Gustav Kluge (*1947; co-founder of the Produzentengalerie in Hamburg). Of the original 190 or so printing blocks, hardly any classic editions were produced; instead, the artist generally only printed a few unique variants. From the very beginning, his approximately 900 woodblock prints show a tendency to overcome the classical boundaries of the medium and combine them with painterly elements. After the turn of the millennium, the prints also took on relief sculptural characteristics through the cutting out and collaging of forms. This deliberate expansion of the possibilities of woodblock printing is reflected in Gustav Kluge's handling of the printing blocks, which are often made from found objects and assembled pieces of wood. Over the years, they show a further development from a tool for wood prints to an autonomous sculptural work that can stand on its own. Printing blocks and wood prints together form a corpus in which graphics, painting and sculpture enter into changing connections. This volume provides a concise overview of the printing blocks created between 1983 and 2018.

Exhibitions
Horst Janssen Museum Oldenburg, 9/12/2018-24/3/2019
Museum Lothar Fischer Neumarkt i.d. OPf., 13/4-16/6/2019
Reutlingen Art Museum, 30/6-13/10/2019