Gruppe SPUR
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- IMAGE CREDITS
banner: 'Gruppe SPUR', 1960 [Photo Christel Fischer]
portrait: (1958) Helmut Sturm, Heimrad Prem, Hans-Peter Zimmer, Lothar Fischer (l.t.r.) [Photo Christel Fischer]
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The foundation of the Gruppe SPUR followed a joint exhibition held in autumn 1957 in the Pavillon im Alten Botanischen Garten in Munich by the painters Heimrad Prem (1934-1978), Helmut Sturm (1932), Hans-Peter Zimmer (1936-1992) and the sculptor Lothar Fischer (1933-2004). They devised the group's name in January 1958 when thinking about the tracks of their own footprints in the snow. Their shared goals related to their criticism of Art informel, which they regarded as devoid of content and too private.- In the 21 points of their first manifesto of November 1958 they rejected aestheticism, technique as an end in itself and abstraction in art. The members of Spur were encouraged and helped by Asger Jorn, who in 1959 introduced them to the Galerie Van de Loo in Munich, which thereafter exhibited and supported the group, as did the artist and art critic Hans Platschek. In 1959 Spur was accepted by the International Situationists in Paris, and in 1961 the group wrote their Januar-Manifest. The Bavarian Ministry of Culture refused to allow an exhibition by them in the Haus der Kunst in Munich. The periodical Spur ran from August 1960 to October 1961 (7 numbers).
- In February 1962 they were expelled by the International Situationists, and in the same year there were two court hearings resulting in prison sentences for supposed blasphemy; later reduced on appeal. In 1965 they painted collaborative gouaches, and started to cooperate with the 'Wir' group; in spring 1966 the two groups were amalgamated to form the 'Geflecht' group.
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Based on The Grove Dictionary of Art
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SPUR WIR: Lothar Fischer, Heimrad Prem, Heino Naujocks, Reinhold Heller, Helmut Rieger, Hans Matthäus Bachmayer, Florian Köhler, Helmut Sturm, Hans Peter Zimmer.
Venice 1964: (left to right) Helmut Sturm, Heimrad Prem and Hans-Peter Zimmer with Jean Dubuffet and Mrs. Dubuffet [Archiv Fischer, Museum Lothar Fischer, Neumarkt i.d. OPf].
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