The Line and the Plane
Jan Groth began his practice in the late 1950s, making his debut at the Charlottenborg Autumn Exhibition in Copenhagen in 1958. His early years were spent in various preparatory art schools across Denmark before he moved to Amsterdam to work with a tapestry studio known as de Uil. This period of study and manual labor shaped a way of seeing that focused on the relationship between a single mark and the surface it occupies. He did not seek to fill space, but rather to define it through the movement of a line.
His work often feels like a recording of a physical gesture. Using crayon on paper, he captured movements that appeared almost seismographic, as if tracing the subtle energies of a moment. This focus on the line eventually moved beyond the flat page. In the late 1980s, he began translating these linear explorations into three-dimensional forms using bronze. These sculptures maintained the same fluidity found in his drawings, ranging from small, intimate pieces to large-scale public works.
Material and Method
The process behind his larger works required a slow, deliberate hand. While a drawing could be executed in an instant, the transition into textile required immense patience. Working alongside Benedikte Groth in Copenhagen, he produced large-scale works where a single white line moved across a dark, monochromatic ground. This method turned a quick gesture into a heavy, structured object. He also worked with wax models to prepare his bronze pieces, meticulously manipulating the material to hold the grace of a drawn stroke.
His practice spanned many different forms:
- Drawings in crayon on paper
- Bronze sculptures
- Large-scale wall drawings
- Textile works created in collaboration
- Design and sculpture
A Life in Oslo and New York
Though born in Stavanger, Norway, his life and work moved between several significant centers. He spent time in New York, exhibiting at the Betty Parsons Gallery in 1972, a space that connected him to the broader developments of minimalist thought. Later years were spent primarily in Oslo, where he continued to refine his restrained expressionism. His studio practice lasted over sixty years, during which he remained focused on the simplicity of the mark.
His presence is felt in several permanent collections across the globe, including:
- The Museum of Modern Art, New York
- The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York
- Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
- Tate Gallery, London
- Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark
- National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo
