Endless Possibilities: Geometric Abstraction
The UBS Lounge at Art Basel in Basel 2025 features works in the UBS Art Collection by international artists who engage with geometric abstraction.
Imi Knoebel's art practice, encompassing painting, sculpture and installation, spans over 60 years. In the 1960s, Knoebel studied under Joseph Beuys at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Influenced by Beuys and the Constructivist artist Kazimir Malevich, Knoebel explored concepts of space and color theory and focused on reducing abstract art to its most basic form, which then led to a series of puristic line drawings, light projections and white paintings. Knoebel painted only in black and white until 1974 when he introduced color. He developed an experimental and serial approach, characterized by a tactile use of color, geometric forms and material simplicity.
Indian Poker (2000) is representative of Knoebel’s minimalist compositions. It is divided into planes of contrasting and complimentary hues and painted on a cut-out sheet of aluminum, a support that he began using in the 1990s. UBS commissioned the artist to create a series of paintings, including this work, for its Lausanne office in 2000.