Large-format woodcuts in abstract yet figurative style characterize the art of German graphic artist HAP Grieshaber (1909—1981). As an “homme engagé,” he used the traditional woodcut as a means of expressing his social and political views and vision. This panoramic exhibition situates the artist in the context of the woodcut revolution in Germany and examines the socio-political positions he formulated with and in this medium.

HAP Grieshaber’s artistic practice was informed by his experience of the soul-searching and political turmoil in the shadow of two world wars, the division of Germany, and a growing social conscience in the face of global injustices. As a consequence, he placed humankind and nature at the centre of his art, in a clear demonstration of humanist principles.

His chosen medium to express his pictorial and political ideas was the woodcut, that centuries-old form of relief printmaking whose aesthetic properties dominate the visual vernacular of his works, irrespective of subject matter. Through his consistent and virtuoso use of a supposedly outdated technique, Grieshaber not only succeeded in dragging the woodcut into postwar contemporary art, but, with his large-format prints, also expanded its scope of application – especially with regard to issues of a current, international, and personal nature.