Tomma Abts
Edited by Gregor Jansen, Magdalena Holzhey
German painter Tomma Abts (born 1967) creates her geometric abstractions through a slow and strict process, always deploying the same modest portrait format (19 x 15 inches), and applying layer upon layer of paint like blankets of sediment. This catalogue brings together her older paintings with her most recent work and offers the fullest presentation of her career to date.
Publisher: Walther König, Cologne
Artists: Tomma Abts
Contributors: Gregor Jansen, Magdalena Holzhey
Publication Date: 2012
Binding: Softcover
Dimensions: 7 1/4 x 9 3/4 in (18.4 x 24.8 cm)
Pages: 64
Reproductions: 33 color
ISBN: 9783863350604
Retail: $30 US & Canada | £16 | €20
Status: Not Available
Tomma Abts
Tomma Abts makes complex paintings and works on paper whose subject is ultimately the process of their creation. She begins each work with no preconceived composition and idea, and without preliminary sketches. Guided largely by intuition, she nevertheless works within precise parameters. The paintings’ evolution is evidenced by ridges and uneven texture—the result of methodical overpainting and reworking of the image. While abstract, the works are still illusionistic, rendered with sharp attention to shadows, three-dimensional effects, and highlights that defy any single, realistic light source. The resulting canvases convey balance and movement, while maintaining a sense of uncertainty, which seems akin to memory.