Herbert Boeckl – Hans Josephsohn

Throughout their lives, both Boeckl and Josephsohn remained committed to the human figure, even at a time when abstraction was becoming increasingly dominant. Their works often dispense with individualising features and anatomical detail, instead distilling form and expression to their essential qualities. Through this deliberate reduction, they achieve a remarkable sense of presence and expressive power. Parallels also emerge in their treatment of material. Boeckl applies paint in dense, almost sculptural layers, while Josephsohn builds his sculptures additively in plaster, gradually shaping the figure through the accumulation of material.

Both artists pursued an uncompromisingly independent path, remaining largely untouched by artistic movements and changing fashions. As a result, their works possess a timeless quality, imbued with an archaic and universal resonance. At the same time, the creative process remains tangible: in Boeckl's paintings, expressive brushstrokes and richly layered surfaces bear witness to the act of painting, while Josephsohn's sculptures retain the traces of their formation in plaster.By placing their works in dialogue, the exhibition offers fresh perspectives on fundamental questions of human existence and reveals how painting and sculpture, despite their distinct means, can arrive at remarkably similar artistic propositions.