In autumn 2026, the Kunstpalast will dedicate a comprehensive exhibition to the Düsseldorf artist Winfred Gaul. Around 120 paintings and works on paper from Willi Kemp's collection, donated in 2011, will be shown. It offers a far-reaching overview of Gaul's work from 1955 to 1997 and at the same time documents the close exchange between artist and collector.
Winfred Gaul (1928–2003) shaped German post-war art with his conception of non-objective painting as a liberating medium for a new beginning. Between openness and strictness, expression and sign, home and abroad: every brushstroke opened up insights into color, line, surface and their interplay. The artist, who participated in documenta twice, developed his work between the free gesture of Informel and the strict order of geometric forms. The painting presented in the show, spanning a period of over 40 years, ranges from spontaneous wipe paintings and signal-like traffic signs to variations of color field painting – the connecting element, color, was something Gaul rediscovered again and again until his death.
Winfred Gaul
Opens in 89 days
