In the spirit of abstraction

The end of the war, often referred to as “a new beginning” also meant a new beginning for art, exhibitions and collecting in the Ruhr region of Germany. The junger westen group of artists was established in Recklinghausen in 1948. In keeping with the attitude to life engendered by the surrounding industrial area, this group of artists provided a major impetus to German post-war art right across the spectrum, from Gustav Deppe’s visual expression of industrial landscapes and the lyrical constructivism of Heinrich Siepmann to the informal painting of Thomas Grochowiak and Emil Schumacher. The exhibition in Recklinghausen and Dortmund documents the importance of the junger westen movement in post-1945 German art and presents major series of works produced by members of the group. Also included are those friends of the artists who were always invited to the group exhibitions: Willi Deutzmann, HAP Grieshaber, Georg Meistermann, Hann Trier and Fritz Winter.