Heinz Mack - 12 Hours (2016)

12 Hours (2016) - The Power of Light

Fascinated by the purest form of light, which he found above all in the vastness of the African and Arabian deserts and in the eternal ice of the Arctic, Heinz Mack created the portfolio 12 Hours - a work consisting of 12 screen prints that decipher the invisible diversity of light and reveal its overwhelming splendor of colors.

Mack researched and documented the energy and power of light in a series of experiments. He was particularly fascinated by its purest form, which he found primarily in the vastness of the African and Arabian deserts and the eternal ice of the Arctic. To do this, the artist traveled to the Sahara in the 1960s to place his mirrors, reliefs, sails and flags there, amidst the endless expanse of sand. The cultural area of ​​the Orient was to accompany Mack in the future too and so, inspired by its bright colors, he created the portfolio 12 Hours. Like a crystal prism, this work is able to decipher the invisible diversity of light and reveal its overwhelming color splendor. The play of colors, combined with graphic structures and shapes, lets you immerse yourself in Mack's world. You embark on a wonderful journey through time that begins with the connection between the Orient and the Occident and ends in the chromatic world of light in Heinz Mack's art.

The most important features of the works of art

The 12 Hours portfolio includes twelve screen prints signed (Mack 16) and numbered by the artist, as well as a title page in a handmade box. The prints are printed with up to 33 grids on CANSON Arches 300g handmade paper.

About Heinz Mack

Heinz Mack, born in 1931 in Lollar, Hesse, is one of the most important German artists. As an Op Art painter and sculptor, he is known for his light and kinetic art. He studied painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and completed his philosophy studies in Cologne in 1956. Influenced by the abstract art of Tachism, he developed his own style in the 1950s. Together with Otto Piene, he founded the Düsseldorf art movement ZERO in 1957, which received international recognition and renewed the understanding of art. In 1970 he was invited to Osaka as a visiting professor and represented Germany at the Venice Biennale. Mack has received important awards such as the Premio Marzotto (1963) and the Grand Federal Cross of Merit with Star (2011).