Katharina Grosse. Studio Paintings 1988–2022. Returns, Revisions, Inventions

"Color is very intimate"

The immediate physical presence of color is central to Katharina Grosse’s creative endeavor. Through an open-ended process in which painting takes on the form of a performance, color embodies movement, making its sensory impact tangible. These issues not only drive her dramatically large site-related works painted across various surfaces in public places, they also inform her studio paintings, which have played an equally central role in her practice from the start. Bringing together 160 paintings, this publication serves as the first in-depth reference book on this important aspect of Grosse’s work. Five essays and an insightful interview with the artist explore how Grosse expands the concept of painting – not just in open space, but also on canvas – through a variety of ways, including her disregard of the traditional frame and her use of stencils, cut canvases, and elemental materials.

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Katharina Grosse. Studio Paintings, 1988–2022: Returns, Revisions, Inventions, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis, MA, 2022–2023; Kunstmuseum Bern, 2023; and Kunstmuseum Bonn, 2024.