Jorrit Tornquist

In 1995 he builds up the Color & Surface group: Barcelona-Milano-Wien, that undertakes chromatic interventions for public and private projects.

In 1992 he obtains Italian citizenship, though maintaining his Austrian one throughout.

In 1987 Jorrit Tornquist creates a performance titled "Apartheid" in Graz, his native town, with the intention to raise public awareness towards all living forms.

Successively he sets up the Team Color Group (1972), becomes member of the Color Center of Tokyo (1974), actively participates in the Surya group (1977), theorized by the critic Enzo Biffi Gentili.

In the same year he takes part in the Forum Stadtpark in Graz. In 1967, together with Richard Kriesche and Helga Philipp, Tornquist signs the founding manifesto of the "Gruppo Austria", which aims to direct the Austrian culture towards new artistic languages.

In 1966 he stages his first one-man show at the Vismara Gallery in Milan.

In parallel to his artistic practices, he starts his career as color consultant with a project for the Caffetteria dello Studente in Graz (1966, in collaboration with Arch. Jorg Mayr), then gradually he began to deal with important architectural sites, among which stands out the incineration plant in Brescia (1996).

Since 1959 he has focused on an in-depth study of color principles and color effects, and contemporarily launched his artistic career.

Initially Tornquist studied biology. In 1958, at the Polytechnic University in Graz, he decided to take up architecture. Under the guidance of one professor named Winkler, Tornquist dedicated himself to both sculpting and painting, focusing on figurative.

Jorrit Tornquist (born 26 March 1938) is an artist, a color consultant, and a color theorist. Originally he is Austrian and since 1992 he has obtained Italian citizenship.