SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
After his return to Westphalia, he enrolled at the Düsseldorf Academy of Fine Arts in autumn 1945. Invited by Dina Vierny, he discovered Paris in 1951, then established a studio there, in the Denfert-Rochereau district, in 1955.
From 1952, alongside his work in Informel painting, Zangs produced more personal works from found objects, which he appropriated and arranged within the framework of what he called “Whitening”. He covered these objects with a veil of white paint without making them disappear: their identity remained perceptible beneath the intervention. In the Object Collages, he generally arranged the elements frontally on a support—a door or a cupboard shelf. In 1953 and 1954, he also developed the series of Folds, Plus-minus, Knots and Relief Paintings. For an exhibition at the Dryan Gallery in London in 1957, he used a car windscreen wiper as a brush; this experience is associated with the series of Wiper Paintings and the introduction of colour into his work.
In 1977, invited by Rolf Dittmar, Zangs took part in documenta 6 in Kassel. After the amputation of both his legs in 1992, he lived in a wheelchair and stopped travelling, while continuing his work. In 1995, the Fondation Cartier devoted to him his first institutional solo exhibition in France. In 1997, he took part in “L’empreinte” at the Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou. After his death, several exhibitions revisited his work: in 2004, the Westfälisches Landesmuseum in Münster presented “Frühe Objektverweißungen 1952-1954”; in 2007, the Musée Zadkine in Paris and the Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein in Vaduz each devoted an exhibition to him. In 2008, the Städtische Galerie im Park in Viersen presented a group of works spanning the period 1947-2003.
This profile brings together identity references for Herbert Zangs and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
10 references are documented at Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Germann, Piguet, Schuler, Lempertz. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.
Acrylic and tissue paper on canvas
Ohne Titel
Acryl und Seidenpapier auf Leinwand
Catalogue period : 2023-06-21
Published result : 2103 CHF
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : CHF 1500–2500
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Mixed media on canvas
Jutes
Mischtechnik auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2023-06-07
Published result : 15120 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 5000
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Pencil
Ohne Titel
Bleistift
Catalogue period : 2019-12-13
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 300–500
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Mixed media on cardboard
Ohne Titel (Scheibenwischerbild)
Mischtechnik auf Karton
Auction date : 2018-06-02
Published result : 3472 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 3000
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Oil on canvas
Ohne Titel
Öl auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2017-06-01
Published result : 8680 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 3000
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Mixed media on canvas
Grand Red Reflective Double Side Peacock
Mischtechnik auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2017-06-01
Published result : 3472 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 3000
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Mixed media on wood
Blue Tower with Yellow & Green - Object Painting
Mischtechnik auf Holz
Auction date : 2016-06-04
Published result : 4340 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 4000
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Pencil drawing
Ohne Titel, 1979
Bleistift-Zeichnung.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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Objekt. Bleistift, Acryl und Collage auf Karton.
Ohne Titel
Objekt. Bleistift, Acryl und Collage auf Karton.
Date to be documented
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
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huile blanche) signée et datée 53
Catalogue period : 2014-10-08
Published result : 800 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
Documentation updated : 2026-10-19
