Space, colour and surface are decisive parameters in the artistic practice of Gerhard Merz, who is known for his large-scale, monochrome formats. Another important point of reference for him is architecture, which not only plays a role in his painterly concepts and spatial installations, but also becomes expressed in specific building projects. In the course of his artistic career, a variety of influences have flowed into his work: from architects such as Mies van der Rohe to Kasimir Malevich, Ad Reinhardt or Barnett Newman to Leonardo da Vinci. Installations and paintings are as much a part of his comprehensive oeuvre as works on paper or graphics including silkscreens.
Gerhard Merz (born 1947 in Mammendorf) studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1969 to 1973, where he also taught from 2004 after several years as a professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. The artist participated in documenta four times in a row from 1977 onwards and designed the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1997 alongside Katharina Sieveking. Solo exhibitions have been held in major museums, including the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich; Kunsthalle Zürich, Zurich; LACMA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles; Hamburger Kunsthalle/Deichtorhallen, Hamburg; Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf; Kunsthalle Basel, Basel and Kunsthaus Bregenz, Bregenz.
