Frank-Joachim Grossmann (born June 7th, 1958 in Jena) is a German artist and graphic designer. He works and lives in Römerberg near Speyer.

Table of Contents

1 Career
2 Activities
2.1 Artistic Works
2.2 Graphic Works
3 Awards
4 Works in Public Collections
5 Individual Exhibitions
6 Memberships
7 Works
7.1 Paintings (selection)
7.2 Posters (selection)
7.3 Book Design
7.4 Web Design
7.5 Typography
7.6 Publications
8 Archives
9 Literature
10 Web Links
11 Itemization

Career

Grossmann studied graphic design at Städtische Fachhochschule Mannheim under Wolf Magin and Hubert Gems together with Armin Liebscher from 1978 to 1983. In 1980 he completed an internship offered by Bernd Benedix and Paul In den Eicken. From 1995 to 1998 he studied communication design in Stuttgart at Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart at Manfred Kröplien and Günter Jacki.[1]
From 1983 to 1984 Frank-Joachim Grossmann worked as a workshop manager of the printing workshop at Kulturzentrum Alte Hauptfeuerwache in Mannheim. From 1992 to 1999 he taught as a lecturer at Fachhochschule Mannheim, from 1993 to 2001 and again from 2005 to 2008 at Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe under Gunter Rambow.
From 2001 to 2002 Grossmann was Professor for Fundamentals of Media Design at Fachhochschule Ulm. From 2002 to 2012 he held a professorship for typography and computer graphics at Fachhochschule Schwäbisch Hall. Since 1998 Grossmann has been a lecturer in media design and interface design at Hochschule Worms as well as a lecturer for typography for online media a DHBW Mosbach. In 2002 Grossmann was a visiting professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore (USA), in 2007 he was a visiting professor at the Academy of Arts Tbilisi in Georgia and in 2011 he was a reviewer of the accreditation process for course offers in communication at IB-Hochschule Berlin.[2] Grossmann also taught as a lecturer at Mannheimer Abendakademie (1982–1992), Kulturzentrum Feuerwache Mannheim (1984–1992 and since 2014), Kunstschule Villa Wieser Herxheim, Feierabendhaus of BASF (1992–1994), FH Metzingen (2000), Internationaler Bund Stuttgart (2006) and Faber-Castell- Akademie (2014–2016).

Activities

In Grossmann’s artistic work two directions are to be emphasized. On one hand there are his graphic works, which include watercolors and charcoal drawings as well as printmaking techniques. On the other hand he deals with communication design including book and postet design, web design and logo design. Grossmann is active in two areas: regional activities in Vorderpfalz and Kurpfalz, geographically roughly the area between Speyer and Heidelberg, with studio, teaching and commissioned works, as well as in an international horizon, including study trips and exhibitions in the Southern Caucasus, guest professorships and international memberships.

Artistic Works

Particularly in his early creative phase up to about 1995 Grossmann was interested in the art of drawing. He specially sought to capture whatever he saw by means of a pen or a charcoal pencil. The art historian Clemens Jöckle describes how Grossmann, in his large-format drawings in delicate colors, makes the human image appear like an archaic face on a monochrome surface.[3]
Similarly, for the art historian Jürgen Linde, Grossmann’s lines in particular provide access to his early works. At the same time he succeeds in creating a tension between the photorealistic exactness of an object and its Sfumato-like blurring on the picture’s surface.[4] For the cultural scientist Uli Rothfuss, Grossmann’s works are supported by a filigree quality. They strive for perfection without wanting to impress.[5] A joint study trip to Georgia and a book project with literature by Uli Rothfuss and watercolors by Grossmann bear witness of his esteem for Grossmann’s art.[6]

Graphic Works

Since 1995 in his graphic prints Grossmann has been increasingly concerned with typography and the relationship between colors and forms. He tries to show the areas of tension within the dynamically set colored letters. His works vary from large-format woodblock color prints to smaller digital prints. In several commissions, Grossmann has also clarified the range of possibilities for poster and book design as well as logos. Here, too, his interest is evident in the relationship between colored forms he depicts in different ways. For Jürgen Linde of Kunstportal Baden-Württemberg his creative skills are particularly evident in the various media: from posters, web design and logos up to graphic printing processes such as lithography, wood and linoleum printing and etchings.[7] Parallel to that Thomas Angelou recognizes an exciting contrast in the use of older as well as contemporary printing techniques in Grossmann’s works.[8] With regard to these graphic works by Grossmann, Uli Rothfuss on the other hand concurrently emphasizes the artist’s awareness of the arrangement of colors and forms, so that they are memorized, so that they have an effect.[9] Additionally Johannes Meinhardt observes that the starting points for Grossmann’s prints are letters or numbers. These are then interlaced again in such a way that new surface elements and thus complex, ambiguous prints are created.[10]

Awards

1984: 1st prize Künstlerbund Rhein Neckar: Jugend gestaltet
1988: “The Modern Wine Label” 1st prize GEWA-Druckerei Bingen

Works in Public Collections

City of Mannheim
Kunsthalle Mannheim
City of Speyer
Rheinland-Pfalz-Kreis
Art Collection Rheinland-Pfalz
Art Collection Baden-Württemberg
Cultural Dialogue Armenia

Individual Exhibitions

1984 “Galerie für junge Künstler” at Forum der Jugend Mannheim
1987 Galerie Hartmannstraße Ludwigshafen
1989 Künstlerhaus Speyer (together with Armin Liebscher)
1990 “Traces” at Kulturzentrum Alte Feuerwache Mannheim (together with Norbert Nüssle and Rainer Negrelli)
1991 Schlossscheune Fußgönheim (together with Armin Liebscher)
1992 “Kultursommer’92” in Ludwigshafen Town Hall (together with Armin Liebscher)
1993 Kunstverein Speyer (together with Finn Cato Gabrielsen)
1994 Jenaer Kunstverein
1994 Bankhaus Wölbern in Hamburg
1995 Galerie Armand Gaasch Dudelange (Luxembourg)
1995 Galerie Roter Turm Grünstadt Asselheim
1995 Arte Facte Mannheim
1996 “Faktum Wein” at Weinkontor Schwarz in Speyer
1999 Feuerbachhaus Speyer
2007 Feuerbachhaus Speyer
2014 “Buchstaben_folgen” in Galerie Josef Nisters in Speyer
2015 “Word and Picture” in Pfälzische Landesbibliothek Speyer
2018 “From A to Z” Künstlerhaus L6 Freiburg i.Br.
2022 Städtische Galerie Speyer
2022 Galerie Roter Turm Grünstadt Asselheim

Memberships

since 1984 Bundesverband Bildender Künstlerinnen und Künstler
1984–2001 Der Anker Ludwigshafen
1984–2001 Künstlerbund Rhein-Neckar
1986–1987 Gruppe “Trotzdem” Heidelberg
1986–2001 and 2005–2011 Künstlerbund Speyer
since 2011 Allianz deutscher Designer
2016–2019 Type Directors Club New York
since 2020 Typographische Gesellschaft München

Works

Painting (selection)

Hiroshima, acrylic and charcoal on canvas laminated on pressboard, 100 × 70 cm, 1984.
Koan im Alltag, mixed technique on handcrafted paper, 78 × 98 cm, 1987.
Trotzdem (triptych), mixed technique on handcrafted paper, 70 × 140 cm, 1987.
À Rebours (Gegen den Strich) 1 and 2, mixed technique on handcrafted paper, 80 × 60 cm, 1987.
Tulpen auf blauer Fläche, acrylic on handcrafted paper, 60 × 80 cm, 1988.
Figur 1, 2 und 3 (family), each acrylic and earth pigment on handcrafted paper, 49 × cm, 1989.
Fractal 2, earth pigment and charcoal on handcrafted paper, 70 × 100 cm, 1989.
Schwefel 1 und 2 (diptych), pigment and chalk on canvas, 2 × 80 × 80 cm, 1990.
Schmetterling 1 und 2 (diptych), pigment and chalk on canvas, 2 × 80 × 80 cm.
Jazzman 1, pencil, chalk and watercolor on handcrafted paper, 58 × 78 cm, 1991.

Posters (selection)

Feuerwache Mannheim
Fachhochschule Mannheim
Künstlerbund Rhein-Neckar
Künstlerbund Speyer
KlangForum Heidelberg
Hermann-Hesse International Society
City of Speyer

Book Design

Wolfgang Dierl, Werner Ring: BLV Bestimmungsbuch Insekten Mitteleuropäische Arten, BLV Verlagsgesellschaft, München 1988, ISBN 3-405-13054-9. (Collaboration on illustrations on pages 207, 211 and 213)
Karl Häusler, Peter Pfeifer, Heribert Rampf: Elemente der Zukunft: Chemie 2 Realschule Bayern, Oldenburg/München 1989, ISBN 3-486-88561-8. (Collaboration on illustrations)
Hans Peter Thiel, Marcus Würmli: Wir schützen unser Leben – Das Bild Umwelt-Lexikon, Ullstein Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt/Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-548-34734-7. (Collaboration on illustrations)
Brockhaus-Enzyklopädie: Band 11, IT-KIP, Verlag F.A. Brockhaus, Mannheim, 19th edition, ISBN 3-7653-1111-1. (Collaboration on illustrations on pages 320, 334, 337 and 383)
Frank-Joachim Grossmann: Skizzenbuch, self publishing, Speyer 1994.
ibid.: Tarkowskij: Die versiegelte Zeit, self publishing, Speyer 1995.
ibid: BodyTypes, self publishing, Speyer 1997.
ibid: Kieslowski: I’m so-so, self publishing, Speyer 1998.
Volker Demuth: Bits and Bones, Weilerswist 2001, ISBN 3-935221-03-7. (Design of the book title)
Frank-Joachim Grossmann: Buy, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
ibid.: Camouflage, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
ibid: Green, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
Yves Vincent Grossmann: Von der Berufung zum Beruf: Industriedesigner in Westdeutschland 1959–1990, Bielefeld 2018, ISBN 978-3-8376-4361-9 (Design of the book title)
Frank-Joachim Grossmann: ABZ, self publishing, Römerberg 2018
ibidi.: Finder, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: Hacker, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: Konsum, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: Manifest, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: Print, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: 5x5, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
ibidi.: Orte, self publishing, Römerberg 2019.

Web Design

ConCoquo
City of Speyer

Typography

Font “Grossi”, in: Typodarium 2015, Verlag Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 2014.
Font “Orion” and font “Takefive”, in: Typodarium 2016, Verlag Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 2015.
Font “Stealthy Font”, in: Typodarium 2017, Verlag Hermann Schmidt, Mainz 2016.

Publications

Frank-Joachim Grossmann, in: Speyerer Künstler der Gegenwart, edited by Clemens Jöckle and Cornelia Vagt, Speyer 1990, pp. 49–51.
Junge Kunst im Kunstverein, Speyer 1993.
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, Speyer 1993.
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, in: 10 Jahre Künstlerbund Speyer e.V., edited by Künstlerbund Speyer e.V., Speyer 1994.
Skizzenbuch, self publishing, Speyer 1994
Tarkowskij: Die versiegelte Zeit, self publishing, Speyer 1995.
BodyTypes, self publishing, Speyer 1997.
Kieslowski: I’m so-so, self publishing, Speyer 1998.
Poster, In: Looking for Transmission – Die Form als Argument, edited by Günter Jacki, Wasmuth Verlag, Tübingen 2006, ISBN 3-8030-3203-2, pp. 158–159.
Watercolors in: Uli Rothfuss: vom atmen der steine, with drawings from Frank-Joachim Grossmann, POP-Verlag, Ludwigsburg 2006, ISBN 3-937139-27-3.
Digital art, self publishing, Römerberg 2016
Printmaking, self publishing, Römerberg 2016
Buy, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
Camouflage, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
Green, self publishing, Römerberg 2017.
ABZ, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Finder, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Hacker, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Konsum, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Manifest, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Print, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
5×5, self publishing, Römerberg 2018.
Orte, self publishing, Römerberg 2019.

Archival Documents

Poster collection (stock Y24) in Landesarchiv Speyer
Poster collection in Stadtarchiv Speyer
Buchinstitut der Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart

Literature

Clemens Jöckle: Grossmann, Frank-Joachim. In: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. K.G. Saur. Berlin / Boston 2019.
Kunstverein Speyer (ed.): Junge Kunst im Kunstverein Speyer – Frank-J. Grossmann, Finn Cato Gabrielsen; Exhibition June 6th to June 27th, 1993, Haus des Kunstvereins Speyer. Speyer 1993.
Jürgen Linde: Design for Conviviality. In: Kunstportal Baden-Württemberg. 2015.
Ulrich Rothfuss: seine kunst ist wie er selbst: frank-joachim grossmann. In: Kunstportal Pfalz. December 3 rd, 2007.
Saarländisches Künstlerhaus: Zeichnen zeigen – Zeichnungen der 90er Jahre. Saarbrücken 1994.

Web Links

Website www.grossmannstudio.de
Grossmann with Allianz Deutsche Designer e.V.
Prints by Grossmann at Saatchi Art

References

[1] Clemens Jöckle: Grossmann, Frank-Joachim. In: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. K. G. Saur, Berlin/Boston 2019.
[2] Clemens Jöckle: Grossmann, Frank-Joachim. In: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. K. G. Saur, Berlin/Boston 2019.
[3] Clemens Jöckle: Grossmann, Frank-Joachim. In: Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. K. G. Saur, Berlin/Boston 2019.
[4] Jürgen Linde: Design for Conviviality. In: Kunstportal Baden-Württemberg. 2015 (kunstportal-bw.de).
[5] Ulrich Rothfuss: seine kunst ist wie er selbst: frank joachim grossmann. In: Kunstportal Pfalz. December 3rd, 2007 (kunstportal-pfalz.de).
In: December 3rd, 2007 (kunstportal-pfalz.de).
[6] Ulrich Rothfuss und Frank-Joachim Grossmann: vom atem der steine. Traian Pop Verlag, Ludwigsburg 2006, ISBN 3-937139-27-3.
[7] Jürgen Linde: Design for Conviviality. In: Kunstportal Baden-Württemberg. 2015 (kunstportal-bw.de).
[8] Thomas Angelou: Zur Eröffnung der Ausstellung „abstract“ im Kunstverein Germersheim. In: Frank-Joachim Grossmann (ed.): Orte. Römerberg 2019, p.16–19 (fjgrossmann.de [PDF]).
[9] Ulrich Rothfuss: seine kunst ist wie er selbst: frank joachim grossmann. In: Kunstportal Pfalz. December 3rd, 2007 (kunstportal-pfalz.de).
[10] Johannes Meinhardt: Einfache Lösungen und visuelle Mehrdeutigkeiten. In: Frank-Joachim Grossmann (Hrsg.): Orte. Römerberg 2019, p.7 (fjgrossmann.de [PDF]).

Pictures

Frank-Joachim Grossmann, 2009
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, Underground, 2017, woodcut on handcrafted paper, 76 × 56 cm
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, Gniezno, 1999 photography
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, Pacific 231, 2017, digital printing on handcrafted paper, 80 × 60 cm
Frank-Joachim Grossmann, Jazzman 1, 1991, pencil, chalk and watercolor on Chinese paper, 58 × 78 cm

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