Fritz Koenig | Großes Rufzeichen

The piece by Fritz Koenig (born 1924 in Würzburg) was acquired and installed by the VGH insurance company in connection with its administration building. One feature of the artist’s work is the use of simple geometrical shapes even when depicting the human form. The work is a caesura that is not assigned any concrete content; it references the urban space in the sense of a general »Look out!« rather than the building. The sidewalk alongside the heavily frequented street would under normal circumstances invite passers-by to stroll down the street; here it flanks a non-man’s-land of institutions with representative façades and anonymous office windows. In this context, the object’s menacing massiveness can be read as a commentary on society. The piece is the property of VGH Versicherungen. A light installation by Joseph Kosuth that can incidentally be seen in the courtyard of the VGH building features a quotation by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz that corresponds to the one on Hohes Ufer (see »Art in the City 1«). » Location: Schiffgraben (in front of the VGH Versicherungen building)