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Markus Raetz
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Key Information
Markus Raetz (6 June 1941 – 14 April 2020) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, and illustrator.
Life and work
[edit]Born in Bern and raised in Büren an der Aare near Bern, Raetz obtained a teacher's education and taught primary school until 1963, when he embarked on an artist's career with stays in Bern, Amsterdam, Carona (Swiss canton of Ticino) and Berlin.[1] He married Monika Müller in 1970, and had a daughter with her, Aimée.
Beginning in the 1960s, Raetz created numerous works, including more than 30,000 drawings.[2] Raetz lived and worked in the village of Carona (Ticino / Italian part of Switzerland) together with many other artists who lived and worked there at the same time, such as Peter Schweri. His work focused on drawings and paintings in the 1960s and 1970s, and continued with sculptures in the 1980s and 1990s, beginning with the sculpture Der Kopf in the Merian Park in Basel (1984). The principal topic of his work is the nature of perception. His works do not focus on what they portray, but on how they are perceived. They often require interaction by the viewer, and can be understood only when viewed in motion or from different angles.[1]
Raetz exhibited works at numerous international exhibitions, including at documenta 4, 5 and 7. Works by him are held by public collections including the Museum of Modern Art[3] in New York, the Schaulager in Basel, the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt, the Kunstmuseum Basel and the Kunstmuseum Bern. He was awarded, among other recognitions, the Prix Meret Oppenheim in 2006 and the Gerhard-Altenbourg-Preis in 2004.[1] He was represented by the gallery Farideh Cadot Associés since 1981.
Raetz died on 14 April 2020 at the age of 78.[4]
Bibliography
[edit]- Raetz, Markus; Haldemann, Anita; Kunstmuseum (2012). Markus Raetz: Ausstellung im Kunstmuseum Basel, 20.10.2012 - 17.2.2013. Ostfildern: Hatje Cantz Verlag. ISBN 9783775733847.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Markus Raetz". SIKART Lexicon on art in Switzerland.
- ^ von Burg, Dominique (December 2012). "Markus Raetz - Wenn einzelne Dinge aufeinandertreffen". Kunstbulletin. Retrieved 23 January 2014.[dead link]
- ^ "THE COLLECTION: Markus Raetz". MoMa. the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ "Décès de Markus Raetz - Radio". Play RTS.
Further reading
[edit]- Collins, Dan. "Anamorphosis and the Eccentric Observer (parts 1 and 2)". Leonardo. 25. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
Markus Raetz
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Early life and education
Childhood and family background
Markus Raetz was born on June 6, 1941, in Büren an der Aare, a small town in the canton of Bern, Switzerland.[1][3] He grew up in Büren near Bern.[4] His father liked to draw and recognized his son's artistic potential early on; Raetz later recalled that his father saw in him the possibility to pursue something the father himself had wanted to do.[4] From the age of ten, Raetz knew he would become an artist.[4] During school vacations, he worked as an assistant to a local artist, gaining early hands-on experience in a creative environment.[4]Teacher training and early work
Markus Raetz attended the teacher-training college in Hofwil near Bern from 1957 to 1959.[5] During school vacations in this period, he worked in the workshop of local artist Peter Travaglini.[5] After completing his training, he worked as a primary school teacher in Brügg near Biel from 1961 to 1963.[6] [7] This teaching period lasted approximately two years, corresponding to ages twenty to twenty-two.[4] [3] Raetz received no formal artistic education during his early years beyond his teacher training, with the exception of a half-year period studying etching in Amsterdam later in his life.[4] In 1963, he ended his teaching career to pursue independent work as an artist.[7] [8]Transition to art career
Move to independent artistry in 1963
In 1963, Markus Raetz ended his work as a primary school teacher in Brügg near Biel and began his career as a freelance artist. [5] [9] He had no formal training in fine arts, having completed only teacher education at the state training college in Münchenbuchsee and Bern from 1957 to 1961 before teaching for a few years. [10] This shift to independent artistry represented a pivotal decision to pursue creative work full-time. [3] In the same year, Raetz settled in Bern, where he lived until 1969 and established his early artistic base. [10] His first exhibitions emerged a few years later, beginning with his inaugural solo show at Galerie Toni Gerber in Bern in 1966. [11]Residencies and life in Bern
Markus Raetz lived primarily in Bern, Switzerland, which served as his main residence and lifelong base in his home country for the majority of his career.[3] Apart from temporary residencies elsewhere, he spent all his time in Bern except for four years in Amsterdam, three years in Carona in Ticino, a stay in Berlin, and regular trips to the South of France.[3] He resided in Amsterdam from 1969 to 1973 and in Carona from 1973 to 1976 before returning to Bern in 1977, where he remained until his death in 2020.[12] In 1981–1982, Raetz stayed in Berlin on a DAAD scholarship.[12] He had resided regularly in Ramatuelle in the South of France since 1967, spending every summer near the sea there (after his marriage in 1970 and the birth of his daughter in 1972, with his family).[12][4]Artistic development and periods
1960s–1970s: Drawings and paintings
In the 1960s and 1970s, Markus Raetz concentrated primarily on drawings and paintings, making drawing the central medium of his practice during this formative period. [13] His oeuvre ultimately encompassed some 30,000 drawings, with the majority produced in these early decades as he devoted himself to the medium with exceptional intensity, often working in notebooks and saving every sheet to document his artistic process comprehensively. [13] By the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, drawing became his main activity, earning him recognition as Switzerland's premier graphic artist, while paintings and pictorial objects reflected influences from Pop Art in the earlier part of the decade. [13] [14] Raetz's work in this era centered on perceptual processes, exploring ambiguities in vision, the relativity of seeing, and the temporal nature of perception rather than subject matter alone. [13] In 1969, he produced drawings of Mickey Mouse that depicted various aspects of the cartoon character's face, with some representations immediately recognizable and others appearing only as abstractions, highlighting his early experiments in multi-perspective and ambiguous imagery. [4] These drawings exemplify how Raetz used familiar icons to probe the interstices of perception, where forms shift or coalesce depending on the viewer's engagement. [13] In 1974, he extended these ideas into a wall-mounted sculpture of Mickey Mouse's head made of wood and wire, clearly identifiable from one specific angle but abstract from any other, demonstrating his emerging use of anamorphosis and viewer-dependent illusion in a three-dimensional context. [4] [14] During the 1970s, Raetz maintained an almost endless flow of drawings and watercolours, frequently executed in notebooks, alongside occasional small-scale works that continued his investigation of perceptual deception and multiple viewpoints. [14] He applied anamorphic techniques to media icons such as Mickey Mouse and Elvis Presley, reinforcing perception as the core theme of his two-dimensional output in this period. [14] Drawing remained his primary mode of exploration, laying the foundation for his lifelong engagement with the medium. [13]1980s–1990s: Shift to sculpture
In the 1980s, Markus Raetz increasingly shifted his artistic focus toward sculpture, expanding his investigations of perception and illusion into three-dimensional space after years dominated by drawings and paintings. [4] A notable early public sculpture, Der Kopf, was installed in 1984 in Merian Park, Basel. [15] This period saw the development of anamorphic and multi-stable forms that reveal distinct images only from specific viewpoints or through reflections, demanding active viewer participation to complete the perceptual experience. [4] Raetz employed modest materials such as wire armatures, mirrors, and cast metal to construct these works, where forms appear abstract or fragmented from most angles but coalesce into recognizable motifs from precise positions. [16] A representative example is Hasenspiegel (Hare Mirror, 1988), made of iron wire, zinc plate, mirror, and acrylic gesso on wood, in which a twisted wire hare gazes into a mirror whose reflection transforms it into a man wearing a hat, sometimes associated with Joseph Beuys. [4] Nichtpfeife (Non-Pipe, 1990–1992), a cast iron sculpture treated with acid and linseed oil, references René Magritte's iconic pipe image by forming a recognizable pipe with brown barrel and black stem from one exact angle, while remaining an abstract, twisted form from all others. [4] [17] These sculptures underscore Raetz's ongoing interest in the subjective and ephemeral nature of vision, where perception depends on the observer's movement and position rather than a fixed reality. [17] His earlier drawing practice continued to inform the linear constructions and conceptual foundations of these three-dimensional works. [4]2000s onward: Continued production and prints
In the 2000s, Markus Raetz sustained his artistic practice through ongoing work in drawings, sculptures, and printmaking, with a notable concentration of new prints produced in 2001 during a residency at Crown Point Press in San Francisco. [18] [19] These prints extended his longstanding investigation into perception, viewpoints, and viewer participation, while introducing motifs of binocular vision and literary-inspired flourishes. [4] The binocular-themed prints included Binocular View (2001), a color photogravure achieved without a photograph by exposing film under an enlarger with moving stencils, and Gaze (2001), a color spit bite aquatint with plates cut into binocular shape to frame a wide, serene gaze rendered in ocean and sky tones. [4] Complementing these were Flourish (2001) and Trim’s Flourish (2001), the latter a spit bite aquatint and aquatint printed in black and green on gampi paper chine collé, drawn from the walking-stick flourish gesture in Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy (1759) that arcs a stick into the sky amid dialogue on freedom. [4] [19] Raetz arrived at Crown Point Press on September 24, 2001, eleven days after the September 11 attacks, and immediately requested wire to twist into the flourish shape, explicitly linking it to the Tristram Shandy passage. [4] In the post-9/11 context, the printers and gallery director interpreted the gesture as evoking freedom encompassing “our cottages and our towers, our bowling greens and whatever else we care about,” imbuing the resulting prints with heightened resonance tied to that moment. [4] Raetz continued his production into the following decades, developing metamorphic sculptures that shift appearance with viewpoint, as well as later works in embossed aluminum sheets and wire, though printmaking activity centered primarily on this 2001 series. [18] These later efforts maintained his precise method of exploring perception and the relative nature of reality through viewer interaction. [4]Artistic style and techniques
Focus on perception and illusion
Raetz's artistic practice is centrally concerned with the nature of perception, emphasizing how objects are seen rather than merely what they depict. [4] His works explore the subjective construction of reality through vision, revealing that perception is an active process shaped by the viewer's position, movement, and engagement rather than a passive reflection of the world. [20] This focus positions seeing as a dynamic act, where shifts in viewpoint can renew or transform understanding, making familiar forms appear anew. [20] Raetz demonstrates gaze deception through techniques that depend on multiple viewpoints, showing how the same form can yield contradictory appearances and underscoring the relativity of truth. [4] His approach highlights the interplay between illusion and reality, building on René Magritte's interrogation of representation and the distinction between image and object. [4] In this context, perception becomes a site of ambiguity and participation, as viewers must actively complete or reassemble meaning through bodily movement around the work. [20] Raetz has characterized his inquiry into perception as a practical method for precise creation rather than an overstated thematic subject. [4] He stated, "The subject [inquiry into perception] is mostly a way for myself to do the sculptures, to have a method in order to work precisely," indicating that the theme serves his working process more than it defines the content. [4] Earlier, in 1974, he remarked, "To see what is often seen anew by turning one's head," a statement that became a credo encapsulating his emphasis on renewed seeing through physical engagement. [20] Raetz's investigations often involve specific applications such as anamorphosis, where perception changes dramatically according to the viewer's position. [4]Anamorphosis and viewer interaction
Markus Raetz's artistic practice reveals a deep engagement with anamorphosis, a technique that deliberately distorts forms and images in deviation from conventional perspective, rendering them legible only from specific viewpoints. [3] [17] This method produces optical effects that remain incomplete or unrecognizable until the viewer adopts the precise position where the distortion resolves into clarity, thereby highlighting the subjective and conditional nature of visual perception. [3] Many of Raetz's works incorporate devices that compel physical movement around the object to reveal successive stages of transformation, such as shifts from fragmented components to a unified image or from one identifiable form to another entirely different one. [3] [17] Representative examples include word flips that change between "oui" and "non" or "si" and "no" depending on the angle of observation, as well as figure transformations that alter the perceived subject through the viewer's repositioning. [3] These anamorphic constructions emphasize active viewer participation as essential to the work's completion, forcing the observer to engage dynamically rather than passively. [3] Raetz's approach serves a truth-seeking purpose by exposing how readily perception can be deceived and how no single viewpoint constitutes absolute truth, instead demonstrating the relativity of reality through multiple possible readings that emerge only through movement and interaction. [3]Materials, motifs, and influences
Markus Raetz employs a diverse range of humble and everyday materials to create his works, often favoring lightweight and ephemeral elements that emphasize transformation and fragility. He incorporates natural items such as twigs, eucalyptus leaves, and other leaves, alongside manufactured materials including metal, cardboard, wire, mirrors, and glass. [3] [17] These choices enable delicate constructions, including mobiles and assemblies that shift with viewer movement and light. [3] Words themselves serve as material in some pieces, integrated into visual forms or anamorphic devices. [3] Raetz's work features recurring motifs drawn from everyday observation and literary sources, including the human figure, landscapes, rabbits or hares, binoculars or directed gaze, horizon lines, and a flourish gesture. [17] [19] Rabbits appear in key transformations, such as pairings with historical figures, while binoculars and gaze motifs feature in titles like Binocular View and Gaze, often tied to perspectival shifts. [17] [19] Horizon lines emerge implicitly in landscape-related works and through folds or viewpoints that reveal or obscure them. [19] The flourish gesture, notably in prints like Flourish and Trim's Flourish, directly references Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy and its playful squiggle by Corporal Trim. [19] Raetz draws inspiration from writers including Robert Walser, Raymond Roussel, and Laurence Sterne, whose textual playfulness and precision echo in his visual language. [3] His engagement with perceptual questions prominent in 20th-century art further shapes his choice of motifs and materials, prioritizing viewer interaction and ambiguity. [3] Drawing remained a foundational action throughout his career, informing the delicate lines and forms in his sculptures and prints. [17]Notable works
Representative drawings and prints
Raetz's graphic oeuvre features an early emphasis on drawing, with over 30,000 two-dimensional works created before the 1970s. [1] Drawing remained a lifelong practice even as his focus shifted toward sculpture in subsequent decades. [1] Among his representative early drawings is a 1969 series depicting Mickey Mouse, which explores various aspects of the cartoon character's face, some rendered in ways recognizable only as abstractions. [4] These works emerged during his Amsterdam period (1969–1973), when he also began producing prints alongside obsessive drawing. [20] Later in his career, Raetz produced notable prints in 2001, published by Crown Point Press, including Binocular View, Gaze, Silhouette, Trim’s Flourish, and Flourish. [1] These works stand as representative examples of his continued engagement with printmaking, aligning with motifs of perception and transformation seen throughout his graphic output. [1]Key sculptures and transformations
Markus Raetz's sculptures from the 1980s and 1990s are renowned for their perceptual transformations, where the apparent form or image shifts dramatically as the viewer changes position or viewing angle, often employing anamorphosis and optical illusions to engage the observer actively. [1] These works emphasize the subjective nature of perception, revealing different subjects or meanings depending on the perspective, and typically require physical movement around the piece to experience the complete effect. Der Kopf (1984) marked Raetz's initial foray into sculpture, serving as his first three-dimensional work and introducing themes of perceptual ambiguity that would define his subsequent production. Kluge Kugel III (1985–1986) continued this exploration through its spherical structure, creating clever visual shifts that challenge the viewer's expectations of form and stability. Hasenspiegel (1988, executed 1988–2000) is a compact work made of galvanised iron wire, painted wood, and mirror, measuring 21.5 × 60 × 20 cm. [21] [22] It depicts a hare sculpted in wire outline seated on a wooden base, gazing into an oval mirror; however, the reflected image transforms optically into the distinctive silhouette of Joseph Beuys wearing his characteristic hat. [22] Through this optical effect, Raetz unites the animal figure with a human artistic identity, questioning notions of reality, self-reflection, and homage in a playful yet profound manner. [22] Nichtpfeife (1990–1992) engages directly with René Magritte's iconic pipe motif, constructed from cast iron treated with acid and linseed oil. [11] [4] The sculpture appears as a swirling, pipe-like form from certain angles but reveals a different configuration or negation of the object from others, underscoring illusions of representation and the unreliability of visual perception. [19] Metamorphose II (1992) is a larger-scale cast iron sculpture with a concrete base, measuring approximately 195.58 × 35.56 × 33.02 cm, embodying Raetz's ongoing interest in metamorphosis through gradual or sudden shifts in perceived form as the viewer circumnavigates the piece. [23] These key examples illustrate how Raetz used sculpture to make complex perceptual phenomena accessible, often with humor and minimal means. [1]Public and outdoor installations
Markus Raetz created several public and outdoor installations that extend his exploration of perception into shared urban and landscape spaces, where viewers must move to activate the works' illusory effects. One of his most iconic public sculptures is OUI/NON (2000), installed in Geneva at Place de la Fusterie along Rue du Rhône. [24] The work consists of three twisted braids of gilded iron mounted atop a mast, designed so that the form resolves into the word "oui" (yes) from one angle, "non" (no) from another, or appears as abstract metallic shapes from other viewpoints. [25] This ambigram mechanism, relying on precise anamorphic distortion, requires active participation from passersby to reveal its binary message, embodying Raetz's recurring interest in ambiguity and subjective seeing. [26] Another key outdoor piece is Der Kopf (1984), located in Merian Park in Brüglingen, Basel. Constructed from limestone stones embedded in the lawn, the installation forms the outline of a human head in profile only when viewed from a specific perspective, otherwise dissolving into scattered rocks within the landscape. [27] This work integrates anamorphosis directly into the ground plane, transforming a passive park setting into an interactive perceptual puzzle. These installations, among others, place Raetz's perceptual investigations in accessible public contexts, where the anamorphic principles central to his practice—detailed elsewhere—engage broad audiences through movement and shifting viewpoints.Exhibitions and recognition
Major solo exhibitions
Markus Raetz has been the subject of numerous major solo exhibitions at leading museums, particularly in his native Switzerland during the later stages of his career. [3] A significant exhibition took place at the Musée d'Art Moderne et Contemporain in Geneva in 2011, where over thirty sculptures were installed on the fourth floor, while the third floor displayed approximately fifty photocopies of preparatory drawings related to a public sculpture in Geneva. [28] The presentation emphasized Raetz's long-standing exploration of perception, language, and viewer involvement, with works featuring simple figurations that create ambiguities and transformations revealed only through movement and shifting viewpoints. [28] In 2014, the Kunstmuseum Bern mounted a major solo exhibition showcasing prints in dialogue with sculptures across various phases of his oeuvre. [3] [29] This show highlighted transitions between drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, underscoring the perceptual shifts and optical phenomena central to his practice. The Museo d’arte della Svizzera Italiana (MASI) in Lugano presented a comprehensive solo exhibition in 2016, marking the institution's first monographic show and celebrating Raetz as a key figure in Swiss contemporary art. [3] [30] This retrospective brought together a broad selection of works spanning his career. Raetz also held solo exhibitions at other prominent international venues, including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 1979, the Serpentine Gallery in London in 1993, the New Museum in New York in 1988 (his first solo museum show in the United States), and the Arts Club Chicago in 2001. [31] [19] [3]International participations and biennials
Markus Raetz achieved significant international recognition through his participation in prominent large-scale exhibitions, particularly the Documenta in Kassel, Germany. He exhibited at Documenta 4 in 1968 and Documenta 5 in 1972, early milestones that reflected his rising profile in contemporary art. [13] He later participated in Documenta 7 in 1982. [32] In 1988, Raetz represented Switzerland at the Venice Biennale, presenting work in the Swiss pavilion. [33] [32] This selection highlighted his standing among leading Swiss artists on the global stage. [13]Collections and institutional holdings
Works by Markus Raetz form part of numerous major public collections, with a particular concentration in Swiss institutions that have long supported his explorations of perception and form. The Kunstmuseum Basel has built an extensive holding in its Kupferstichkabinett since 1968, encompassing drawings, prints, watercolors, and polaroids that were prominently featured alongside loans in its 2012 retrospective exhibition. [13] The Kunstmuseum Bern owns a comprehensive collection spanning the artist's career, including around 15 graphic works, 8 paintings, and approximately 40 sculptures, largely acquired through the transfer of the Toni Gerber collection between 1984 and 1996, with notable pieces such as the site-specific installation ohne Titel (1980–83) created for the museum's galleries. [34] Schaulager Basel, via the Emanuel Hoffmann Foundation, also preserves works by Raetz within its holdings. [35] Further Swiss institutions, including the Kunsthaus Zürich, maintain prints and other works by the artist in their collections. [36] Internationally, the Museum of Modern Art in New York holds 39 works by Raetz, consisting mainly of prints, drawings, and book projects from the 1960s and 1970s, such as Apollo (1967) and pieces from Die Buecher (1975). [37] His oeuvre is additionally represented in other European collections, including the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt. [38] These institutional holdings underscore Raetz's enduring influence on contemporary art concerned with optical phenomena and viewer engagement.Personal life and legacy
Family and personal residences
Markus Raetz married Monika Müller in 1970.[39] The couple had a daughter, Aimée, born in 1972.[39] After living in Amsterdam from 1969 to 1974, where they had moved together before their marriage, the family returned to Bern at the end of 1976.[39] Raetz established his primary residence in Bern thereafter, maintaining it throughout the remainder of his life and working from various studios in the city, including on Neuengasse, Sandrainstrasse, and later Laubeggstrasse.[39] He continued to live in Bern until his death in 2020, and the Markus und Monika Raetz Stiftung is based there.[40] In addition to his life in Bern, Raetz spent every summer with his wife and daughter in France near the sea.[4] He also had residencies in Amsterdam and a guest stay in Berlin in 1981 through the DAAD artists’ programme.[39]Death in 2020 and posthumous impact
Markus Raetz died on April 14, 2020, in Switzerland at the age of 78. [41] His passing was noted amid his established reputation for exploring the nature of perception through interactive drawings, prints, and sculptures that demand viewer movement and shifting viewpoints. [41] Posthumously, Raetz's status as a key figure in perceptual art has been reinforced by continued exhibitions of his works held in major institutions and galleries. [42] In particular, the Kunstmuseum Bern mounted the first comprehensive posthumous retrospective, titled MARKUS RAETZ. OUI NON SI NO YES NO, from September 8, 2023, to February 25, 2024. [42] Curated by Stephan Kunz with Livia Wermuth as assistant, the exhibition concentrated on his three-dimensional works and mobiles—including many pieces never previously shown publicly—and presented them thematically to reveal interconnections across his practice since the 1960s, underscoring his preoccupation with visual perception and the continual metamorphosis of imagery. [42] His works remain in prominent public collections and are regularly featured in exhibitions, sustaining his influence on contemporary explorations of optical illusion and viewer engagement. [42]References
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ambigramme_OUI_NON_sculpture_anamorphosique_de_Markus_Raetz_2002.jpg