About ‘Franz Gertsch. Presence’
‘Franz Gertsch. Presence’ brings together eight monumental works spanning Gertsch’s career, elucidating the ways in which he transformed photographic imagery into hyperrealist paintings and woodcuts. What appears at first glance to be a project of exacting replication emerges instead as a deeply investigative practice—one that enshrines the poetry of fugitive moments through a disciplined material language. Gertsch’s work stands as a testament to his relentless pursuit of a new way to represent reality by challenging the very boundaries of realism.

Curated by Dr. Tobia Bezzola, Director of the Museo d’arte della Svizzera italiana (MASI) in Lugano, ‘Franz Gertsch. Presence’ is the gallery’s first comprehensive presentation of the late artist’s work in New York, offering American audiences a rare opportunity to experience the full visual and emotional impact of his singular practice.

About Franz Gertsch
Franz Gertsch (1930 – 2022) was a Swiss artist internationally renowned for his monumental photorealistic paintings and woodcuts. From the time of his international breakthrough in 1972 at documenta 5 in Kassel he created a wide range of paintings and graphic works, which gained acclaim for their precise, large-scale depictions of everyday life, meticulously based on photographs. His work explores the passage of time, perception and surface, blurring the line between photography and painting. In the 1980s, he developed a groundbreaking wood cut technique using hand-crafted tools and natural pigments, creating monumental, monochrome prints unlike any other in contemporary art. Gertsch represented Switzerland at the Venice Biennale in 1999, and his influence endures through the Museum Franz Gertsch in Burgdorf, Switzerland.