Erich Paproth (1955-2017) was a versatile artist, curator, and patron of the arts. This exhibition honors his legacy and serves as a thank you for bequeathing his entire estate to the Schwules Museum. In accordance with his wishes, his generous donation enabled the museum to establish a foundation dedicated to promoting queer art and culture.
Born in Krefeld in 1955, he grew up in an entrepreneurial household. Through his mother’s passion for art, he came into contact early on with works by the artists Joseph Beuys and Herbert Zangs also from Krefeld, as well as the Düsseldorf-based Group Zero centered around Heinz Mack, Otto Piene, and Günther Uecker. Later, he was also influenced by the works of Antoni Tàpies and Christian Boltanski.
Although his desire to study art was thwarted by his parents’ opposition, he did not let this deter him from pursuing his artistic path. He initially studied Protestant theology in Wuppertal before switching to history, focusing on prehistory and early history. Alongside this, he developed his artistic practices autodidactically. In 1985, he gained his doctorate at the University of Bochum with a thesis on “The Museum Presentation of Prehistoric and Early Historical Research Results“. After that, he moved to Berlin, where he lived until his death.
In the 1980s, Paproth intensively explored the theme of sexuality, particularly his own homosexuality. Inspired by Expressionism, the ‘Neue Wilde’ (New Fauves), and the Transavantgarde art movement that emerged from Italian Arte Povera, he created works that questioned personal and societal taboos. Later, inspired by prehistoric cave paintings, he moved towards more abstract visual languages. The complicated connections between past and present became a central theme in his art. He utilized traces of time – destruction and transience – and experimented with techniques such as etching, patination, or the use of fire and acids.
In 1991, a fire in his studio destroyed a large part of his work. This loss profoundly influenced his artistic output and led to an intense involvement with the Library of Alexandria, the most significant repository of knowledge in antiquity, and the powerful legend of its destruction by fire.
From the late 1990s, Paproth turned to book art. As an artistic response to September 11, 2001, he created an artist’s book that was included in the collection of the New Library of Alexandria. At the library’s opening in 2002, he established connections with Arab book artists and subsequently curated presentations of contemporary Arab book art, which were shown at book fairs, in galleries, and in 2009 at the Hamburg State and University Library. His own book art works, unique pieces in the tradition of abstract, material-oriented painting, were exhibited internationally and received wide acclaim.
Paproth’s life was characterized by phases of artistic creation, but also by periods when he devoted himself to other challenges. From 1986 to 1989, he ran the successful shoe store Zapato, and later worked in real estate, realizing a communal living project. The dream of living by the sea accompanied him throughout his life. Numerous trips took him across Europe, especially to Spain, as well as to India and the Middle East. In therapy in 2006/07, he examined intensively his own biography, which triggered another productive artistic phase. During this time, he created large-format paintings, objects, and art books that once again established connections to Herbert Zangs and Joseph Beuys.
Erich Paproth died unexpectedly in 2017 at the age of only 61. However, his artistic work and commitment to art remain alive. This exhibition offers an insight into his multifaceted oeuvre and invites visitors to discover and appreciate his artistic legacy.
Curators: Birgit Bosold & Andreas Sternweiler
Visual: Erich Paproth, s.t., ca. 1980, chalk on cardboard, detail (Photo: Jan Künemund)