Gagosian Gallery Nabs Katharina Grosse for Its Star-Studded Roster

She joins the gallery's pantheon of stars.

Portrait of Katharina Grosse © Katharina Grosse 2015; VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2015; Photo: Andrea Stappert. Courtesy of the artist.

In the case of an artist who thinks big and works bigger, few can measure up to Katharina Grosse. Now, the widely-acclaimed painter may have found a gallery that can keep up with the scale of her vision. Grosse, who made a big splash at the Rockaways this summer with her paint-splattered beach shack along the shore, has been picked up by none other than Gagosian.

“A gallery with the scale and global reach of Gagosian offers exciting potential for an artist like me whose work operates in an extended field,” Grosse explained in an email to artnet News. “I also appreciate the great expertise and resources in the gallery, including some close personal connections, and the new level of exposure that this affords my work.”

Related: Katharina Grosse Paints the Rockaways Red for the Summer

An email sent to artnet News from Gagosian revealed that the gallery has been in conversation with the artist for eighteen months. The gallery, which represents a star-studded roster of artists, will officially represent the Berlin-based artist starting next year, and they’re kicking things off with Grosse’s first commercial exhibition in New York.

According to a spokesperson from the gallery, we can expect the show, which is scheduled to open in early 2017, to “focus on recent paintings on canvas of varying scale, none of which have been previously shown” in the US.

Katharina Grosse, "Rockaway!" Courtesy of Sarah Cascone.

Katharina Grosse, “Rockaway!” Courtesy of Sarah Cascone.

Related: Cologne’s Subway Unveils Massive Katharina Grosse Mural

Grosse’s career as an abstract painter spans over twenty years, and her inclination to take acrylics beyond the canvas dates back to the mid-1990s. Her sprawling, immersive, and all-consuming works have taken over galleries and site-specific installations across the country, and internationally. Similar to her current installation at the Rockaways, Grosse doused a dilapidated house in vibrant orange and yellow hues for the inaugural Prospect.1 New Orleans biennial in 2008.

Katharina Grosse. <em>untitled</em> (2008). Courtesy of the artist.

Katharina Grosse. untitled (2008). Courtesy of the artist.


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