Emil Schumacher

EMIL SCHUMACHER (Hagen, 1912- Ibiza, 1999).
Untitled.
Etching, copy P.A.
Signed.
Measurements: 24 x 17 cm (print); 57 x 38 cm (paper).

Schumacher was a great representative of abstract expressionism in post-war Germany. The style of his works changed drastically in 1950, abandoning the painting of objects and moving towards the expressive power of painting. Color alone became the decisive element in his works. This biographical and artistic process took place during a period determined by the French School of Paris and American action painting. While abstraction was typical of this period, it also became typical of Emil's personal style. After exhibiting at Documenta in Kassel in 1964, he began to create immense works, expressing great pictorial freedom. This phase lasted until the 1980s. His later works, from the 1990s, with figurative reminiscences, contrast figuration and abstraction. Schumacher became internationally known in the 1950s as one of the most important informalist artists. He was awarded numerous international prizes, the first being the Guggenheim Award in 1958. Emil Schumacher died in San José (Ibiza) in 1999, one year after his major retrospective in Munich.