Heinz Mack · Ars Urbana: Public-Space Art

Description

As the creator of monumental and sculptural designs in public spaces, Heinz Mack is a patron of human encounters in metropolitan settings. The book, written by the artist, is dedicated to an œuvre that spans over more than fifty years (1952 –2008).

Convinced that culture inevitably must also become big-city culture, Mack has always been fascinated with monumental dimensions. A co-founder of the influential "Zero" movement, Mack has been realizing his vision, independently of the demands to which art has been subjected in museums, since the early fifties. As a result, there are now more than one hundred works in public spaces whose complex range of shape and form set Mack apart from other artists. The book documents not only the colossal sculptures that dominate their settings, but also his large-scale mosaics, murals, metal-reliefs, and windows in churches and foyers of company headquarters. Mack is famous for his geometric, futuristic and almost megalomanically high structures, like the 42-metre high stainless-steel tower in Stuttgart, the tallest sculpture in Europe. He has also worked extensively in the making of stone, water and light ensembles in public spaces around Europe and Japan.

The book Ars Urbana contains more than 200 pictures of completed projects, with extensive commentaries. They are placed in context by Heinz Mack’s theoretical reflexions on »architectural sculptures«.