Biography

1914

Karl Otto Götz is born on February 22nd in Aachen

1932

Attends School of Arts and Crafts in Aachen

1933

Early abstract works

1935

Early splatter works, National Socialists prohibit Götz from further paiting and exhibiting, but secretly continues to work

1936-1938

Military service at the German Air Force, starts experimenting with abstract films, photography and photogramms as well as abstract painting

1939 – 1945

Soldier, training as an intelligence officer, is located to Norway until the end of war

1941

Studies for one semester at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden

1945

Most of his early work is destroyed during the shellfire of Dresden

Intensly working on "Fakturenfibel", which he has to leave in Norway and is lost for twenty years until Götz receives it by an anonymous sender

1946

First solo exhibition at Studio Rasch in Wuppertal

1949 – 1953

Publisher of the magazine "Meta"

1948

Götz receives the art award "Junger Westen"

1952

Develops his informel art practice

1953

First to publish poetry by Hans Arp

1958

Participation in 29th Venice Biennale

Begins to engage with information theory

1959

Participation in Documenta II, Kassel

1959 – 1979

Professorship at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, among his students are Gotthard Graubner, Kuno Gonschior, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter, H.A. Schult

Votes for the calling of Joseph Beuys

1968

Participates in the 34th Venice Biennale

1983

Participates in the exhibitions "Westkunst - Zeitgeössische Kunst seit 1939" in Cologne

1989

Receives the order of merit of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia

1997

Honorary member of the Kunstakademie Münster

2004

Honorary member of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

2007

Federal Cross of Merit

2010

Receives honorary doctor of the university of Münster

2017

Karl Otto Götz dies on the 19th of August in Wolfenacker