Wolfgang Ludwig (1923–2009) — Ks32. 1971 - 13/50 Signed Serigraphy

Wolfgang Ludwig (1923–2009) — Kinematische Scheibe KS 32, 1971 — Signed, Dated, and Numbered Silkscreen 13/50 — Op Art

Category: Prints and Multiples > Modern Art / Op Art

Artist: Wolfgang Ludwig (Germany, 1923–2009), one of the leading figures of German Op Art

Description:

Original silkscreen print from the “Kinematische Scheiben " (Kinetic Discs), an iconic work by Wolfgang Ludwig, titled “KS 32” and dated 1971. In this work, the artist constructs black-and-white radial systems that, through a purely optical moiré effect, appear to rotate slowly before the viewer’s eyes, even though the composition is entirely static—a central principle of Ludwig’s artistic exploration of the mechanisms of visual perception.

Signed and dated “1971” in pencil by the artist, numbered 13/50.

Dimensions: Sheet/image 41 x 58 cm — Framed 53.5 x 70 cm

Technique: Silkscreen print on paper

Condition: Excellent conditionWolfgang Ludwig (1923–2009)

Biography

Wolfgang Ludwig was born on February 8, 1923, in Mielesdorf, Thuringia, and died on March 25, 2009, in Berlin. He is considered one of the most important German representatives of Op Art. Wikipedia

He first studied from 1947 to 1950 at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, then pursued further studies from 1950 to 1956 at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin under Hans Uhlmann and Alexander Camaro. In 1955, he received a scholarship from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. From 1956 to 1967, he worked as a freelance collaborator for the Berlin architect Paul G. R. Baumgarten, before becoming a professor at the Akademie für Grafik, Druck und Werbung in 1967. Wikipedia

It was during the 1960s that he developed his most famous series, the “Kinematische Scheiben " (Kinetic Discs)—of which your work KS 32 is a part—exploiting the moiré effect to create static black-and-white compositions that appear to be animated by a slow rotational movement when viewed by the observer.

In 1971, he was appointed professor of visual communication at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Berlin (now the UdK), a position he held until 1991—the exact year your silkscreen print was created. A hand condition brought his most productive artistic period to a premature end shortly after this time, causing him to refocus on his teaching.

He was also actively involved in Berlin’s professional art scene, serving as president of the bbk berlin (Association of Visual Artists) for eleven years, from 1978 to 1989.

Major Exhibitions

• 1963 — ZERO Exhibition, Diogenes Gallery, Berlin
• 1965 — The Responsive Eye, Museum of Modern Art, New York
• 1966 — First solo exhibition devoted to the Kinematische Scheiben, Situation 60 Gallery, Berlin
• 1966 — Junge Generation – Maler und Bildhauer in Deutschland, Academy of Arts, Berlin
• 1970 — Exhibition at Galerie m, Bochum (with François Morellet)
• 2007 — Op Art, Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt am Main
• 2007 — Optic Nerve, Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio
• 2010 — Wolfgang Ludwig. Works from 1958–1979, Galerie Dierking, Zurich
• 2013 — A Century of Light and Motion in Art, 1913–2013, Grand Palais, Paris
• 2017 — A Tribute to the Responsive Eye, Dierking, Zurich
• 2018 — Black & White. From Dürer to Eliasson, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf

This exhibition timeline is significant for your profile: Wolfgang Ludwig’s inclusion in The Responsive Eye at MoMA (1965) — the seminal exhibition that introduced the term “Op Art” to an international audience — as well as his participation in major retrospectives through 2018 (Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Grand Palais Paris) confirm his status as an internationally recognized artist of historical significance.