LOCATION
DIAL
FEROCOCO N° 12
Neon Relief
“Feroroco N° 12” is part of a series of graphic systems of arcs in luminous neon lines. The art work consists of six elements that glow red-orange. The “Feroroco” series is a sequence of aesthetic experiments with the abstract form of the circle. They are not mounted in closed circles but in open geometric systems. The graphic arrangement resembles a drawing; the radiant light creates a dialog with the surrounding space.
“Fer” is the French word for “iron”; it can be understood as a reference to the supporting structure of the neon relief. “Rococo” is phonetically similar to the French word “rococo,” an 18th-century art style known for asymmetrical decorations. “If I were to summarize in one sentence the idea that I have been trying to realize in my works since 1952 .., I would say that my aim has always been to reduce the subjective decision and the manual intervention to a minimum so that my simple, transparent and – what I like best – absurd systems can unfold freely and unhindered,” said the artist.
FRANÇOIS MORELLET (1926 — 2016)
In drawing, painting, sculpture and installation, François Morellet experimented with geometries on paper, canvas and in space. He began working with light in the 1960s, and today his works are considered milestones in the art history of neon light. He not only uses the light source as an artistic material, but also the entire technical system with cables, plug connections and transformers. For each of his works, he followed mathematical principles or developed his own set of rules. His compositions are visual systems made up of repetitions, series and variations of technical materials.
He began exhibiting regularly in 1960. He was a co-founder of the GRAV (Groupe de Recherche d’Art Visuel) artists’ group in Paris, which was active from 1960 to 1968. In 1965, he took part in the exhibition ‘The Responsive Eye’ at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He was invited several times to the Venice Biennale and the Documenta in Kassel.
EXHIBITIONS
2024 London (uk), ANNELY JUDA FINE ART
2024 Milan (it), A ARTE INVERNIZZI
2023 Paris (fr), THEOREME
2022 Chur (ch), FORUM WÜRTH
2022 Moulis-en-Médoc (fr), CHATEAU CHASSE-SPLEEN
2021 Paris (fr), CENTER GEORGES POMPIDOU
2019 Hertogenbosch (nl), KUNSTLOCATIE WÜRTH
2016 Unna (de), CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL LIGHT ART
2015 Vitry-sur-Seine (fr), MUSEE D’ART CONTEMPORAIN DU VAL-DE-MARNE
2002 Künzelsau (de), MUSEUM WÜRTH
Since 1960 Regular exhibition activities worldwide
STUDIES
until 1975 Running the family toy factory
— Ecole des Langues Orientales in Paris: Russian
BIO
2016 died in Cholet (fr)
1926 born in Cholet (fr)
LINKS
REFERENCE
ZUMTOBEL COLLECTION
Thanks to the cooperation with the Zumtobel Collection, classic positions in the art history of light can also be shown. These artists paved the way for artistic work with light after the Second World War: François Morellet (1926 – 2016) was a co-founder of the GRAV (Group de Recherche d’Art Visuel) artists’ group, active in France and Latin America. Keith Sonnier (1941 – 2020) was one of the pioneers in the USA who began translating drawings into neon light in the 1960s. He later developed a series of light spaces entitled BA-O-BA to bathe in light. Brigitte Kowanz (1957 – 2022) focussed on the coding quality of light.