Imi Knoebel was committed to radical abstraction from the start of his artistic career.
After training at the 'Werkkunstschule' [School of Applied Arts] in Darmstadt, the artist went on to study under Joseph Beuys at the Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1964, at the same time as Blinky Palermo. However, it was under the influence of Kasimir Malevich, in particular, whose essay 'Suprematism: The Non-Objective World' (1927) and his revolutionary painting “The Black Square” soon led him to a very individual form of expression that enabled him to challenge the classical concept of painting.

Throughout his various work series, the artist has explored the relationship between space, form, and color, rigorously reducing painting to its most basic elements.
Knoebel's compositions are based on basic geometric forms, especially the rectangle. He begins by cutting small pieces of paper and arranging them into a model before transposing them into his often monumental works.

Color first appeared in Knoebel's art in 1974, and it began to play an increasingly important role in his work in 1977, after the death of his friend and fellow artist Blinky Palermo. It soon became one of the most important elements of his radically conceptual, minimalist approach to art. Henceforth, he began to apply just a single color to each of the many geometric elements that Knoebel uses to compose his radically non-representational works.

Starting in 2011, Knoebel created the multi-part works of the series “Kartoffelbilder” (Potato Pictures), in which his approach to geometric forms appears more playful, more candid, and considerably less austere. For the first time, the artist chose a large oval shape that forms the basis for elements constructed from at least four layers. It is somewhat reminiscent of the familiar shape of a potato and, at the same time, of famous works from art history, including Vincent van Gogh's “Potato Eaters” (1885) or Sigmar Polke's ingenious sculptural potato installations (e.g., ZKM, Karlsruhe, 1969).



However, Knoebel chose the mundane title as a slightly ironic, humorous comment on the irregular form, which was unusual for his work to date. The idea for these works came from a similarly oval, frayed water stain that the artist discovered on the ceiling of his house in Düsseldorf. In this form, Knoebel found greater freedom, lightness, and openness, the chance to expand his formal canon and create a necessary counterpoint to his works' otherwise strict geometric order.

The free, oval form is combined with at least three other elements, layered on top of each other and individually painted, with intersecting, loosely distributed aluminum strips, which can also be found in Knoebel's “cut-ups” and rectangular or triangular surfaces resting on top; only the outer edges of the lower, mysteriously concealed layers protrude.

The result is a wall-sized, completely frameless, relief-like structure with an astonishing spatial effect and a subtle interplay between dynamic imbalance and calming symmetry. Knoebel plays with contradictions: strictly geometric rectangles and stripes meet free forms, ochre tones meet gaudy color accents and shimmering metallic surfaces. Beat Wismer, director-general of the Museum Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf until 2017, speaks of a sensational visual allure, an “eye-erotic appeal”. (Quoted from: Ingvild Goetz and Karsten Löckemann (eds.), exhibition catalog Imi Knoebel, Goetz Collection, Munich 2023, p. 85)

The “Kartoffelbilder” occupy a unique position in an oeuvre that covers almost 60 years, combining his well-known constructivist work with the openness and lightness of the “cut-ups” he created at the same time, adding a whole new, playful dimension to his strictly abstract understanding of art. For his 75th birthday, the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg presented “Imi Knoebel. Werke 1966–2014,” the first comprehensive retrospective of the artist's work in almost 20 years. The exhibition also included the present work. [CH]