Hans Josephsohn
Encyclopedia
Hans Josephsohn is a Swiss
sculptor. He lives and works in Zurich.
Josephsohn was born in Königsberg
(today's Kaliningrad
), East Prussia. Here he attended elementary school and completed high school in 1937. That same year, he left his homeland and moved to Florence
with a small scholarship, in order to study art. Due to his Jewish ancestry, he had to leave Italy a short time later and fled to Switzerland
. He arrived in Zurich in 1938 and became a student of the sculptor Otto Müller. In 1943 Josephsohn moved into his first atelier, and starting in 1964 began shwoing his works in various solo shows within Switzerland. He acquired Swiss citizenship in 1964.
Josephsohn's works began to attract the attention of a larger audience at the end of the 1990s. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam dedicated a large solo exhibition to the artist in 2002. In 2003 Josephson received the art prize of Zurich
. Various group and solo exhibitions followed this, among others in the Diözesanmuseum Kolumba in Cologne (2005) and in the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2007). In 2008, the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt/Main organized a large solo exhibition of Josephsohn's works.
In the years since 2000, Jospehsohn's work has increasingly been regarded, also internationally, as a significant contribution to visual art.
Permanent installations of Hans Josephsohn's works can be seen at the museum La Congiunta in Tessin, Switzerland, which was built by Peter Märkli and Stefan Bellwalder and opened in 1992. In 2003 the Kesselhaus Jospehsohn in St. Gallen, Switzerland, opened, where a regularly alternating selection of works is presented. At the same time, the Kesselhaus is functioning as a storage and archive for Josephsohn's works and it is located next to the Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen where Hans Jospehsohn's works are cast.
Hans Josephsohn is represented by the Galerie Felix Lehner and Hauser & Wirth
.
Josephsohn's figures are bereft of any portrait-like individualization. And they stand out for their simplicity, for their being limited to the simple postures of the human body. The wish for permanence plays a key role: "My figures must be enduring in their expression, in their stance", Jospehsohn said, "A narrative gesture is out of the question". His works evoke prehistory, ancient stone steles and romanesque figures.
Josephsohn's favourite working material is plaster. He finds it ideal if simply it permits directness and spontaneity, both of which are necessary for Jospehsohn's working process. Plaster allows him to repeatedly add material or take it away. The directness of the work process is reflected not only in the immense vitality of the figures but even more by the traces left by this process. For example, finger imprints remain on the surface, referencing the artist's hands as it seeks to mold the material.
His artistic examination of the human figure is influenced and determined by his own experience, which for him as an artist is shaped above all by his everyday work in the studio but also by the interpersonal relations in his life. He seeks his models in his own personal world: They are for the most part friends, relatives - almost always women, very often his own life partner. Real persons are the starting point of this work and search for forms but his works hardly ever have portrait-like character or individual traits. Thus, also for those who know Josephsohn's models personally, when viewing the corresponding works there is little to remind one of the individuals.
2009
Hauser & Wirth Outdoor Sculpture: Hans Josephsohn, Southwood Gardens, London, UK
2008
Josephsohn Bildhauer, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Hauser & Wirth, London, UK
2007
Sculpture at Schönthal, Kloster Schönthal, Langenbruck, Switzerland
2006
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
Peter Blum Gallery, New York NY, USA
2005
Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland
Kolumba, Diözesanmuseum, Cologne, Germany
2004
Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Evangelische Stadtkirche, Darmstadt, Germany
2003
Museum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg, Germany
2002
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
2001
Haus der Kunst der Stadt Brünn, Brno, Czech Republic
2000
Galerie Bon van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
1997
Helmhaus Zurich, Switzerland
1993
Galerie Im Trudelhaus, Baden, Switzerland
1988
Galerie Produga, Zurich, Switzerland
1985
Stiftung Landis & Gyr, Zug, Switzerland
1984
Urania-Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
1982
Kunsthalle im Waaghaus, Winterthur, Switzerland
1981
Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland
1978
Galerie an der Stadthausgasse, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
1975
Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
1972
Galerie "Zum Elephanten", Zurzach, Switzerland
1969
Galerie Daniel Keel, Zurich, Switzerland
1967
Technisches Rathaus, Tübingen, Germany
1966
Galerie Obere Zäune, Zurich, Switzerland
1965
Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland
1964
Helmhaus Zurich, Switzerland
1962
Galerie am Stadelhofen, Zurich, Switzerland
1956
Städtische Kunstkammer zum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
Group Exhibitions
2009
Visible Invisible, Parasol Unit Foundation of Contemporary Art, London, UK
ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK
Hauptsache Köpfe. Merkwürdige Häupter, Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
2007
The Third Mind, Palais de Toky, Paris, France
Klaus Merz und die Bilder, Literaturmuseum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Josephsohn und Marisa Merz, Galerie Buchmann, Lugano, Switzerland
Hans Josephsohn und Ernst Hermanns, Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
2006
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland (Travelling Exhibition)
2005
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Germany (Travelling Exhibition)
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland (Travelling Exhibition)
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Kunsthalle Emden, Germany (Travelling Exhibition)
Architektur + Kunst - Dialoge, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria
2004
Mind the Gap, Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany
2000
Der verlorene Blick, Galerie Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland
1999
Haus Bill, Zumikon, Switzerland
1998
Spurensuche Mensch, Seedamm Kulturzentrum, Pfäffikon, Switzerland
1994
Eine Art Kunstszene, Helmhaus Zürich, Switzerland
1988
Kunstszene Zürich '88, Shedhalle, Zurich, Switzerland
1986
Galerie im Trudelhaus, Baden, Switzerland
1972
Künstler im Atelier, Museum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
1961
Nationale, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland
1949
Junge Zürcher Künstler, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland
1949
Emigrantenkünstler in der Schweiz, Helmhaus, Zurich, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
sculptor. He lives and works in Zurich.
Josephsohn was born in Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
(today's Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad is a seaport and the administrative center of Kaliningrad Oblast, the Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania on the Baltic Sea...
), East Prussia. Here he attended elementary school and completed high school in 1937. That same year, he left his homeland and moved to Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
with a small scholarship, in order to study art. Due to his Jewish ancestry, he had to leave Italy a short time later and fled to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He arrived in Zurich in 1938 and became a student of the sculptor Otto Müller. In 1943 Josephsohn moved into his first atelier, and starting in 1964 began shwoing his works in various solo shows within Switzerland. He acquired Swiss citizenship in 1964.
Josephsohn's works began to attract the attention of a larger audience at the end of the 1990s. The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam dedicated a large solo exhibition to the artist in 2002. In 2003 Josephson received the art prize of Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
. Various group and solo exhibitions followed this, among others in the Diözesanmuseum Kolumba in Cologne (2005) and in the Palais de Tokyo in Paris (2007). In 2008, the MMK Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt/Main organized a large solo exhibition of Josephsohn's works.
In the years since 2000, Jospehsohn's work has increasingly been regarded, also internationally, as a significant contribution to visual art.
Permanent installations of Hans Josephsohn's works can be seen at the museum La Congiunta in Tessin, Switzerland, which was built by Peter Märkli and Stefan Bellwalder and opened in 1992. In 2003 the Kesselhaus Jospehsohn in St. Gallen, Switzerland, opened, where a regularly alternating selection of works is presented. At the same time, the Kesselhaus is functioning as a storage and archive for Josephsohn's works and it is located next to the Kunstgiesserei St. Gallen where Hans Jospehsohn's works are cast.
Hans Josephsohn is represented by the Galerie Felix Lehner and Hauser & Wirth
Hauser & Wirth
Hauser & Wirth is one of the world's leading contemporary art galleries. In addition to representing over 40 established and emerging artists, the gallery represents the estates of Eva Hesse, Allan Kaprow, Lee Lozano, Jason Rhoades, Dieter Roth and André Thomkins, as well as the Henry Moore Family...
.
On Hans Josephsohn
Josephsohn's sculptures focus on the human figure as a volume in space. From the beginning of his career he has worked, from the model, on sculpture's most timeless, constant themes: Representations of the human figure, standing, sitting, reclining, has worked on portrait heads or half-figures, made in plaster, some then later, cast in bronze.Josephsohn's figures are bereft of any portrait-like individualization. And they stand out for their simplicity, for their being limited to the simple postures of the human body. The wish for permanence plays a key role: "My figures must be enduring in their expression, in their stance", Jospehsohn said, "A narrative gesture is out of the question". His works evoke prehistory, ancient stone steles and romanesque figures.
Josephsohn's favourite working material is plaster. He finds it ideal if simply it permits directness and spontaneity, both of which are necessary for Jospehsohn's working process. Plaster allows him to repeatedly add material or take it away. The directness of the work process is reflected not only in the immense vitality of the figures but even more by the traces left by this process. For example, finger imprints remain on the surface, referencing the artist's hands as it seeks to mold the material.
His artistic examination of the human figure is influenced and determined by his own experience, which for him as an artist is shaped above all by his everyday work in the studio but also by the interpersonal relations in his life. He seeks his models in his own personal world: They are for the most part friends, relatives - almost always women, very often his own life partner. Real persons are the starting point of this work and search for forms but his works hardly ever have portrait-like character or individual traits. Thus, also for those who know Josephsohn's models personally, when viewing the corresponding works there is little to remind one of the individuals.
Selected exhibitions
Solo Exhibitions2009
Hauser & Wirth Outdoor Sculpture: Hans Josephsohn, Southwood Gardens, London, UK
2008
Josephsohn Bildhauer, Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
Hauser & Wirth, London, UK
2007
Sculpture at Schönthal, Kloster Schönthal, Langenbruck, Switzerland
2006
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
Peter Blum Gallery, New York NY, USA
2005
Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland
Kolumba, Diözesanmuseum, Cologne, Germany
2004
Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen, Switzerland
Evangelische Stadtkirche, Darmstadt, Germany
2003
Museum Ostdeutsche Galerie, Regensburg, Germany
2002
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Galerie Bob van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
2001
Haus der Kunst der Stadt Brünn, Brno, Czech Republic
2000
Galerie Bon van Orsouw, Zurich, Switzerland
1997
Helmhaus Zurich, Switzerland
1993
Galerie Im Trudelhaus, Baden, Switzerland
1988
Galerie Produga, Zurich, Switzerland
1985
Stiftung Landis & Gyr, Zug, Switzerland
1984
Urania-Galerie, Zurich, Switzerland
1982
Kunsthalle im Waaghaus, Winterthur, Switzerland
1981
Aargauer Kunsthaus, Aarau, Switzerland
1978
Galerie an der Stadthausgasse, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
1975
Museum zu Allerheiligen, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
1972
Galerie "Zum Elephanten", Zurzach, Switzerland
1969
Galerie Daniel Keel, Zurich, Switzerland
1967
Technisches Rathaus, Tübingen, Germany
1966
Galerie Obere Zäune, Zurich, Switzerland
1965
Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland
1964
Helmhaus Zurich, Switzerland
1962
Galerie am Stadelhofen, Zurich, Switzerland
1956
Städtische Kunstkammer zum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
Group Exhibitions
2009
Visible Invisible, Parasol Unit Foundation of Contemporary Art, London, UK
ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London, UK
Hauptsache Köpfe. Merkwürdige Häupter, Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
2007
The Third Mind, Palais de Toky, Paris, France
Klaus Merz und die Bilder, Literaturmuseum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
Hans Josephsohn und Marisa Merz, Galerie Buchmann, Lugano, Switzerland
Hans Josephsohn und Ernst Hermanns, Galerie Reckermann, Cologne, Germany
2006
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland (Travelling Exhibition)
2005
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Städtische Museen Heilbronn, Germany (Travelling Exhibition)
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Museum Liner, Appenzell, Switzerland (Travelling Exhibition)
Die obere Hälfte - die Büste seit August Rodin, Kunsthalle Emden, Germany (Travelling Exhibition)
Architektur + Kunst - Dialoge, Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna, Austria
2004
Mind the Gap, Kunstverein Freiburg, Germany
2000
Der verlorene Blick, Galerie Lelong, Zurich, Switzerland
1999
Haus Bill, Zumikon, Switzerland
1998
Spurensuche Mensch, Seedamm Kulturzentrum, Pfäffikon, Switzerland
1994
Eine Art Kunstszene, Helmhaus Zürich, Switzerland
1988
Kunstszene Zürich '88, Shedhalle, Zurich, Switzerland
1986
Galerie im Trudelhaus, Baden, Switzerland
1972
Künstler im Atelier, Museum Strauhof, Zurich, Switzerland
1961
Nationale, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Switzerland
1949
Junge Zürcher Künstler, Kunsthaus Zürich, Switzerland
1949
Emigrantenkünstler in der Schweiz, Helmhaus, Zurich, Switzerland
External links
- Biography, bibliography, images, press on Hans Josephsohn on Hauser & Wirth
- Kesselhaus Josephsohn
- Film on Hans Josephsohn Film Josephsohn Bildhauer
- Permanent installation of Hans Josephsohn's works at La Congiunta