Johann Georg Gsteu, 1963–1965. Gsteu reduces the church to its essentials – a grid of concrete beams and a cross of light cut into the roof. Nothing distracts; the structure itself becomes the ornament. It is a quietly radical space, where the rhythm of the coffers draws the gaze upwards and the light, falling evenly from above, suggests a presence that needs no image to be felt.
Lambda archival C-type print, unmounted.
150 x 120 cm – limited edition of 10
80 x 70 cm – limited edition of 10
Signed and numbered by the artist, with a blockchain-registered Verisart Certificate of Authenticity.
About the project – Sacred Modernity: The Holy Embrace of Modernist Architecture
Sacred Modernity documents the dramatic shift in church architecture across post-war Europe. Spurred on by the modernising impulses of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, the Church searched for an architectural language that showed it was still relevant to the modern world. This was the period when the church married the atheist architect and bore a child of pure form. Half a century on, the series traces how these buildings' materials and ideals have matured and patinated. Begun during the Covid lockdowns, when only the churches remained open, the four-year project became the book Sacred Modernity (Hatje Cantz, 2024), featuring 100 churches from across Europe, and was exhibited in Vienna in 2024.
Johann Georg Gsteu, 1963–1965. Gsteu reduces the church to its essentials – a grid of concrete beams and a cross of light cut into the roof. Nothing distracts; the structure itself becomes the ornament. It is a quietly radical space, where the rhythm of the coffers draws the gaze upwards and the light, falling evenly from above, suggests a presence that needs no image to be felt.
Lambda archival C-type print, unmounted.
150 x 120 cm – limited edition of 10
80 x 70 cm – limited edition of 10
Signed and numbered by the artist, with a blockchain-registered Verisart Certificate of Authenticity.
About the project – Sacred Modernity: The Holy Embrace of Modernist Architecture
Sacred Modernity documents the dramatic shift in church architecture across post-war Europe. Spurred on by the modernising impulses of the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960s, the Church searched for an architectural language that showed it was still relevant to the modern world. This was the period when the church married the atheist architect and bore a child of pure form. Half a century on, the series traces how these buildings' materials and ideals have matured and patinated. Begun during the Covid lockdowns, when only the churches remained open, the four-year project became the book Sacred Modernity (Hatje Cantz, 2024), featuring 100 churches from across Europe, and was exhibited in Vienna in 2024.
