Albert Mertz | Grothcollection

Albert Mertz (1920-1990), makes his exhibition debut at the age of fourteen in 1934 together with his friend Dan Sterup-Hansen and was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in 1936, aged only sixteen. Two years later, he leaves the Academy again in protest against the old-fashioned teaching, according to him. Alongside the visual arts, he begins to make films, which at the time were a somewhat avant-garde matter in the art context. In the established art environment, this medium is downright looked down upon, and Mertz is given the predicate ‘irresponsible’. However, he takes a big view of that, and up through the 1940s he makes several experimental films, e.g. the one that is considered the first Danish of its kind, namely ’ Flugten“from 1942 together with the film director Jørgen Roos and with the artist Robert Jacobsen in the lead role. Mertz continues to make films right up until the end of the 1950’s, both of the experimental kind, but also short films for the state such as. “Instruction for the workplace” from 1956.

In the late 1940s, Mertz formed the artist group Linien II with, among other things,. Ib Geertsen and Richard Winther. Here the concrete art had to be unfolded, but again Mertz is his own and is somewhat crooked about this demand. At the group's first exhibition, he shows some rattled Dadaist-inspired collages and assemblages. Nevertheless, Mertz stands as one of the chief ideologues behind the group with his thoughts about having the artistic material at the center and not the artist's inner life – the subjective feelings had to be cleared out of the way.

Up through the 1950s, Mertz also continues to work with painting. In 1952, he drafts a decoration at Østerport Station with the painting “Fluteman”, which became very popular among the general public. The painting represents the more common view of the painter Mertz in the 1940’s and 1950’s –, a Copenhagen motif in a modern imagery, but down-to-earth and comprehensible. A painting built up in almost geometric shapes, but still with a realistic expression and with clear references to concrete art and the Linien II group, of which he is still a part at the time. Later, in 1957, he does more odd things like “Carrier stick ballet”, which consists of small painted carrier sticks at different heights suspended from a box. The more playful and experimental Mertz presents himself here.

In 1963, Mertz moves to France, first to Menton in the South of France and later to Paris, where he lives until 1975. The years in France will almost be a kind of work exile for Mertz, where, in addition to producing on a large scale, he also stays well informed about international art. He reads the leading journals and writes, among other things, articles home to the Louisiana Revue from, for example, the Venice Biennale. But there will be no major international breakthrough for Mertz’ art, and his works are most often sent home for exhibitions in Denmark – at Clausens Kunsthandel, at Grønningen and later Den Frie. He gets peace of mind for his work in France, but at the same time is very isolated and aware that Paris may not be the place where it happens at that time. In the years 1969-1971, Mertz develops what would particularly become his signature, namely the red+blue proposition – most often used as a rectangle consisting of a red square on the left and a blue one on the right.

In this combination of the color contrast pair red+blue, Mertz sees a kind of universal sign that can be included in different contexts. As Mikkel Bogh writes in the article “Mertzhuset” from 1999, Wittgenstein's ‘concreteness philosophy’ around ‘the meaning is the use’ could headline the red+blue study. Neither words nor other statements have meaning in themselves, but gain meaning in use. With red+blue, Mertz wants to investigate this use on the basis of as clear an expression as possible – free of conventions of any kind. He uses this color combination going forward and expands from the pure form of the two squares to many different motifs. The red+blue proposition becomes central to Mertz’'s attempt to create free space in art.

In Paris, Mertz also begins his large notebook, where he writes a kind of diaries with thoughts about art – about considerations of one kind or another about making art, being an artist, etc. The notebook is divided into different books called, for example, Workshop books, Red + Blue, Garbage books and actual diaries. It is both in depth and breadth a writing company that today stands out clearly as a weighty and unique piece of work in Danish art history.

From 1975 until his death in 1990, Albert Mertz is back in Denmark, but settles somewhat from Copenhagen and the art environment – on Glænø south of Skælskør. In the 1980s, his art is particularly centered around the red+blue proposition, and he exhibits, among other things, with the American artist Lawrence Weiner. He comes back to the Academy of Fine Arts and becomes a professor in 1979, where he introduces the students to a number of international visiting teachers and helps start the School of Media Arts. Mertz also participates in several cultural programs in television and eventually works on the grand presentation of his works for the 21st. São Paulo Biennale in Brazil in 1991, where he was thus posthumously Denmark's official representative.

Albert Mertz left behind one of the last century's most interesting Danish work productions. As the main heading, you can say that he was constantly involved in an investigation of art and not least its relationship to reality. He experimented, doubted and asked; what is art? He followed his artistic thought or idea and expressed it in all media from painting, drawing and collage to sculpture and film. At the same time, he was throughout a significant voice in the art world with his many articles and texts, and he followed developments both at home and internationally. The significant role Mertz filled in post-war art history is reproduced very well in the consistent figure Mikkel Bogh makes him in volume 9 of New Danish Art History. Bogh emphasizes Mertz as an important link between the abstract art of the 1940’s and post-war neo-avant-garde currents, and in Mertz’ art much of the development throughout the latter half of the century is reflected.

Albert Mertz was active for many years, from 1931 until 1990, and made a great many works. His importance for Danish art was great when he lived – he got e.g. his first retrospective exhibition at the Art Association aged 42 in 1962 – and especially in the last 10-15 years he had a large work production and exhibition activity, at the same time as he was a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Since then, interest in his art and the influence of his work has only grown. Art historians, curators and artists write about, exhibit and ‘increasingly use’ his works. There have been several large exhibitions at home in museums and galleries, but also internationally, increasing interest is beginning to show. Gallery exhibitions, trade fair presentations and curatorial inquiries both in Europe and the USA.