Günther Umberg's paintings break the bounds of the visible: His works are comparable to imaginary fields of extreme openness whose "velvety" blackness throws the viewer back onto himself. In this book of pictures, Umberg has placed his own oeuvre into the context of pictures from other artists taken from various private collections in Cologne as well as from the Museum Ludwig collections.

These are pictures to which the artist - in the course of his artistic career - developed a certain affinity. The works enter in a discourse that allows viewers to grasp both related and opposing artistic positions, with surprising, new encounters and perspectives reflecting on Umberg´s own oeuvre.

The other artists: Richard Artschwager Jo Baer Ingrid Calame Helmut Federle Dan Flavin Sam Francis Hans Hofmann Jasper Johns Ellsworth Kelly Yves Klein Oskar Kokoschka Jonathan Lasker Piero Manzoni Brice Marden Sigmar Polke Gerhard Richter David Reed Robert Ryman Jessica Stockholder Andy Warhol and others