5 04 ‘ 2022   museomag 
“PAINTING WAS A PHYSICAL ACT   
FOR HIM” 
THE DISTINCTIVE ART OF GAST MICHELS 
away from experimenting in terms of subject matter 
either, exploring universal themes like the forest and 
archetypical human forms in the first half of his career 
and drawing more on daily life and experiences in the 
second half. “There’s a directness and honesty in his 
trajectory that makes him special,” Frank notes, “He 
didn’t just stick to one style his whole life in order to 
sell work.” 
A PHYSICAL ACT 
When it came to putting brush to canvas, Michels took 
an all-over approach to painting, working from all sides 
and angles and giving each section of the composition 
equal attention and significance. This lends his works 
a dynamic energy and a distinctly American style, as 
his colleagues at the time noted. Michels also took up 
karate in the 1980s, which may have contributed to the 
muscular physicality that his pieces seem to radiate. 
“Painting was a physical act for him, not just a cerebral 
one,” David observes, “There was a certain tension in 
his body when he worked and you can feel that in his 
art.” 
As our conversation draws to a close, we speak about 
highlights in Gast Michels’ career and if the brothers 
have any favourite works by their father. “My favou- 
rite ones change over time, it’s very subjective,” Frank 
muses. They both agree that 1994 was a particularly 
strong year, though; “If you look closely there’s a peak 
there, from the mid-80s through to 1994,” notes David. 
Whilst preparing the retrospective, they also noticed 
that Michels moved away from his more monumen- 
tal pieces towards the end of his career, instead taking 
a keen interest in smaller formats, some of which are 
on display in the show. “Though less imposing at first 
glance, they’re just as complex in terms of composition 
as the large-scale works,” Frank remarks, “As a viewer, 
you just have to be willing to dig a little deeper to get 
the full impact of the pieces.” 
Katja Taylor 
Gast Michels (1954-2013): Movement in colour, 
form and symbols. Temporary exhibition at the 
MNHA from 7 October 2022 to 26 March 2023 
and at the Cercle Cité from 7 October 2022   
to 22 January 2023. 
Get the exhibition catalogue for some bonus 
material from our conversation with Frank and 
David Michels and further insights into the show 
courtesy of the curators! 
STUDIO VISIT