Klaus Heider, born in Göppingen in 1936, embarked on his artistic career in the mid-1960s, delving into the realm of printmaking under the tutelage of Manfred Henninger at the Staatliche Akademie für bildende Künste, Stuttgart. Subsequently, he honed his skills in Printmaking under Friedrich Stabenau at the esteemed Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Berlin, from 1960 to 1963.
In 1982, Heider was bestowed with the prestigious Villa Massimo Prize, granting him the opportunity to spend a year in Rome. The following year, he received a grant from the renowned Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. Since 1983, Heider has held the esteemed position of Professor of Painting at the acclaimed Hochschule für Gestaltung, Wirtschaft und Technik in Pforzheim. He currently resides in Bad Boll.
Heider’s early works as a print-maker in the 1960s were defined by perspective lines and chiaroscuro, skillfully evoking a sense of three-dimensional structure. Drawing inspiration from photographs, he often incorporated elements of collage, décollage, and frottage in his creations. The use of light and transparency has remained a prominent aspect of Heider’s work throughout his career.
In the 1970s, Heider delved into the realm of sculpture, crafting mesmerizing glass spaces in the landscape. Preceded by preliminarily works done in print and drawing, these objects allowed for a new perspective on size, spatial relations, and the character of their surroundings. As the 1980s dawned, Heider began experimenting with incorporating colored linear elements into his work. Starting with painted lines, he later progressed to using neon tubes that extended beyond the boundaries of the picture and into the surrounding space.
Heider’s repertoire also features a fusion of words and images in multiple books and works on paper, each bearing a title of significant meaning.
www.ftn-books.com has several titles on Heider now available.
