Alfred “Alex” Gockel

Alfred Alexander Gockel, known as Alex, was born in 1952 in a coal mining town near Münster, Germany. His first work was published when he was only 8 years old. At 16, Gockel began working 700 meters deep in the German coal mines, an experience that profoundly shapes his art today. He uses self-prepared tar in his acrylics as a direct connection to those formative years. After spending more than two years in the army, Gockel enrolled at the University of Applied Sciences Münster in 1973, where he studied art and design and learned lithography and silk-screening techniques. Following graduation, he taught graphic design and typography at the academy before deciding to focus on his art full-time in the early 1980s.
In 1983, Gockel and his wife Ingrid founded Avant Art, an art publishing company now ranked among the top in the abstract market with customers in more than 50 countries worldwide. He purchased a mill in 1988 to serve as a center for graphic printing, including serigraphy and etching. Distribution points and studios were established in London and Connecticut in 1990. Over the last decade, Gockel has produced sculptures in bronze, silver alloy, acrylic, aluminum, and steel, participating in exhibitions across New York, Boston, Dublin, Madrid, Cannes, and numerous European cities. Represented by Park West Gallery, Gockel continues creating vibrant works that touch viewers’ souls with rich primary colors and fluid strokes.