1899-1922

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“The time of my youth, childhood, playground, machines, workshop. But drawings at the bureau of my father too.”

1899
Born 17 November in Osnabrück/Germany as Friedrich Vordemberge

1918
Completed apprenticeship as a cabinet-maker in Osnabrück

1919-22
Studied at Kunstgewerbeschule (School of Arts and Crafts) and Technische Hochschule (College of Technology) Hanover - interior design, sculpture and architecture

1922-3
Sculptural reliefs, worked in the Vierthaler-studio, Hanover

1923-1925

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“In 1923 I began to use colour intentionally.”

1923-1924
Project for a villa

1924
Began painting constructions, first typographical designs.

With Hans Nitzschke “Gruppe K”-exhibition at Kestner Gesellschaft, Hanover

First own studio at Kestner Gesellschaft

Contacts with Kurt Schwitters and Hans Arp

Member of “Der Sturm”, Berlin

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“The greatest achievement until now in the 20th Century art is the breakthrough into the Non-Objective World.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1925
Contacts with Theo van Doesburg

Member of “De Stijl” group, Netherlands/ Paris

Took part in the avantgarde-exhibition “L’Art d’Aujourd’hui”, Paris

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“This journey to Paris and the exhibition brought my entrée to the international art world.”

1926-1929

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“The work in typography and advertising design was produced in parallel with his paintings and continued throughout his career.”

Dietrich Helms, London 1990

1927
Founder-member of the artist-group “die abstrakten hannover” - Carl Buchheister, César Domela, Rudolf Jahns, Hans Nitzschke, Kurt Schwitters and Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart

Member of the “ring neue werbegestalter” (international circle of new advertising designers)

Part of the exhibition “Wege und Richtungen der abstrakten Malerei in Europa”, Kunsthalle Mannheim

1929
First international solo-exhibition at Galerie Povolozky, Paris

Part of “Abstrakte und Surrealistische Malerei und Plastik”, Kunsthaus Zurich

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“From elementary laws of form, colour, line, plane, matter and space one could develop an autonomous plastic reality in which form and content were one.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1930-1937

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“Added to the pictorial plane are elementary, stereometric bodies, wood, crescents, cones, pieces of frame which transform the picture into a relief and emphasise its architectural character.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1930
Member of the international artist-group “cercle et carré”, Paris

Part of the exhibition “Vision und Formgesetz”, Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Berlin

1931
Founder-member of the international artist-group “abstraction - création”, Paris

1932
Married Ilse Leda (Hanover 1906 - 1981 Rapperswil)

1934
Exhibitions in Rome and Milan, contact with the Futurists

1936-1937
Lived in Berlin
Stayed in Switzerland

1937
Part of the exhibition “konstruktivisten” at Kunsthalle Basel, Basle

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“He believed in the human values of art, the social significance of beauty.”

Gottfried Honegger, Paris 1988

1938-1953

1938
Works of the artist are shown in the exhibition “Entartete Kunst”, Berlin

Emigrated with his wife to Amsterdam

Part of the exhibition “Abstracte Kunst” at Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam

Part of “Modern German Art”, New Burlington Gallery, London

Solo-exhibition at Kunstzaal Kleykamp, The Hague

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“The problem of balance takes on a new importance.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1938-1939
Part of the exhibition “Solomon R. Guggenheim Collection of Non-Objective Paintings”, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore

1939
Part of “Art of Tomorrow” at Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, New York

1940
Volume of poetry “millimeter und geraden” by Edition Duwaer, Amsterdam

1942
Exhibited at Art of this Century Gallery, New York

1944
Part of the exhibition “konkrete kunst” at Kunsthalle Basel, Basle

1946
Member of the Committee of Honour and Design of the exhibition-catalogue “kunst in vrijheid” at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Friendship with Max Beckmann during the years of the emigration

1948
Part of “La Collezione Peggy Guggenheim” at XXIV Biennale di Venezia

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“VG spoke himself of the choreographic principle in the creation of the composition.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1949
Album “vordemberge-gildewart. époque néerlandaise” by Edition Duwaer, Amsterdam

1950
Designed displays for “De Bijenkorf” department stores in Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam

Dutch Nationality was given to Friedrich Vordemberge-Gildewart and his wife

1952
Part of the exhibition “de stijl”, XXVI Biennale di Venezia

1952-4
Lectured on “The use of colour as a factor in the creation of architectural space” at Academie van Beeldende Kunsten, Rotterdam

1953
Awarded prize at the 2nd Biennale, Sao Paulo

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“Pictorial order is added to the graceful, playful, dancelike composition.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1954-1962

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“The energy Vordemberge-Gildewart worked with for the principles developed within historical Constructivism, made him a moral instance in a changed world.”

Dietrich Helms, St. Gallen 1975

1954
Appointed to Hochschule für Gestaltung (College of Design) in Ulm as head of the “Visual Communication" Department

Member of PEN Club of the Netherlands

First great exhibition of VG's works 1923 - 1954 at Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Köln, showing the whole development of his abstract and concrete painting

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“The work is a pure mirror of the personality of a man who sets order against the chaos of this world.”

Willy Rotzler, London 1972

1955
Member of the Principal's Committee Hochschule für Gestaltung

Exhibited at the Documenta I, Kassel

1957-9
Series of exhibitions in Germany

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“VG became one of the leading masters of a new and clear visual language.”

H.L.C. Jaffé, 1974

1959
“vordemberge-gildewart - eine bild-biografie” (a visual biography) by the artist college Richard P. Lohse

Part of  Documenta II, Kassel

1962
Died 19 december in Ulm

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“Beauty is the radiation of truth.”

Augustinus