A1129: Spotlight: Contemporary
Blalla Wolfgang / Wolfgang Ewald Hallmann was a German painter and graphic artist. He deals with fundamental existential questions (religion, sexuality, ...) in a drastic, both blasphemous and obscene manner. Formally, it moves between surrealism, outsider art (Art Brut), folk art and numerous references to art history. In the 1980s, the cycle of "horror pictures" was created. In addition to other techniques, the reverse glass painting known from folk art is characteristic of him. In 1995/1996 Hallmann produced a series of 149 sheets of woodcuts in which he recapitulated his own career under the title “The Way, the Truth and Life”. He was a member of the artist trio around Herbert Haberl and Bernd Wangerin. In 1965 he was a founding member of a traveling theater that later became “Hoffmanns Comic Teater”. Members of this group later formed the rock band Ton Steine Scherben.
Peter Doig, a Scottish painter, is renowned for his distinct, evocative style that captures elements of the natural world intertwined with a sense of the fantastical. Known for his vibrant use of color and imaginative landscapes, Doig's works often explore themes of memory and nostalgia, heavily influenced by his experiences in Canada, Trinidad, and the United Kingdom.
Peter Doig’s journey in the art world gained significant momentum after his education at Chelsea College of Arts, which was followed by his winning the prestigious Whitechapel Artist Prize in 1991. This recognition led to a solo exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery where he showcased key works that helped define his career, such as "Swamped" and "The Architect's Home in the Ravine."
Throughout his career, Peter Doig has demonstrated a mastery of painting, evident in works like "White Canoe" and "Echo Lake," which reside in major collections such as the Tate and the Saatchi Collection. His art not only reflects his personal history and travels but also incorporates elements from cinema and photography, giving his paintings a dream-like quality that invites viewers to interpret their narratives.
Peter Doig's work has been exhibited worldwide, including significant retrospectives at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark. His achievements in the art world have been recognized with numerous awards, including being named the 2017 Whitechapel Gallery Art Icon.
For those interested in the contemporary art scene, Peter Doig remains a pivotal figure whose works continue to inspire and provoke deep reflection. Art collectors and enthusiasts keen on following updates related to new sales and auction events featuring Doig’s work can sign up for targeted updates here.
David Salle is a Pictures Generation American painter, printmaker, photographer, and stage designer. Salle was born in Norman, Oklahoma, and lives and works in East Hampton, New York. He earned a BFA and MFA from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California, where he studied with John Baldessari. Salle’s work first came to public attention in New York in the early 1980s.
Jonathan Meese is a German painter, sculptor, performance artist and installation artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. Meese's (often multi-media) works include paintings, collages, drawings and writing. He also designs theater sets and wrote and starred in a play, De Frau: Dr. Poundaddylein — Dr. Ezodysseusszeusuzur in 2007 at the Volksbühne Theater. He is mainly concerned with personalities of world history, primordial myths and heroes. Jonathan Meese lives and works in Ahrensburg and Berlin.
Stephan Balkenhol is a German artist known for his sculptures capturing the human form. Based in France and Germany, he specializes in wood sculptures, reliefs, drawings, and graphic techniques like lithography, woodcuts, and stencils. His distinct style features roughly carved and vibrantly painted wooden sculptures, often depicting people, animals, and architecture.
Balkenhol's subjects lack emotions, often gazing into emptiness, resulting in a distant and enigmatic aura. Wood is his primary medium, with softer woods allowing precise facial details while maintaining imperfections like chips, knots, and tool marks. The artist adds paint as a finishing touch, accentuating anatomy and vitality. The textured surfaces beneath the paint layer amplify the sense of life in Balkenhol's works.
Stephan Balkenhol is a German artist known for his sculptures capturing the human form. Based in France and Germany, he specializes in wood sculptures, reliefs, drawings, and graphic techniques like lithography, woodcuts, and stencils. His distinct style features roughly carved and vibrantly painted wooden sculptures, often depicting people, animals, and architecture.
Balkenhol's subjects lack emotions, often gazing into emptiness, resulting in a distant and enigmatic aura. Wood is his primary medium, with softer woods allowing precise facial details while maintaining imperfections like chips, knots, and tool marks. The artist adds paint as a finishing touch, accentuating anatomy and vitality. The textured surfaces beneath the paint layer amplify the sense of life in Balkenhol's works.
Stephan Balkenhol is a German artist known for his sculptures capturing the human form. Based in France and Germany, he specializes in wood sculptures, reliefs, drawings, and graphic techniques like lithography, woodcuts, and stencils. His distinct style features roughly carved and vibrantly painted wooden sculptures, often depicting people, animals, and architecture.
Balkenhol's subjects lack emotions, often gazing into emptiness, resulting in a distant and enigmatic aura. Wood is his primary medium, with softer woods allowing precise facial details while maintaining imperfections like chips, knots, and tool marks. The artist adds paint as a finishing touch, accentuating anatomy and vitality. The textured surfaces beneath the paint layer amplify the sense of life in Balkenhol's works.
Tim Eitel is a German contemporary artist.
Tim Eitel's creative style remains realistic with elements of romanticism. Tim Eitel is one of the representatives of the "New School of Leipzig". His work is so faithful and close to the original that it could be presented as a colourful photograph.
Blalla Wolfgang / Wolfgang Ewald Hallmann was a German painter and graphic artist. He deals with fundamental existential questions (religion, sexuality, ...) in a drastic, both blasphemous and obscene manner. Formally, it moves between surrealism, outsider art (Art Brut), folk art and numerous references to art history. In the 1980s, the cycle of "horror pictures" was created. In addition to other techniques, the reverse glass painting known from folk art is characteristic of him. In 1995/1996 Hallmann produced a series of 149 sheets of woodcuts in which he recapitulated his own career under the title “The Way, the Truth and Life”. He was a member of the artist trio around Herbert Haberl and Bernd Wangerin. In 1965 he was a founding member of a traveling theater that later became “Hoffmanns Comic Teater”. Members of this group later formed the rock band Ton Steine Scherben.
Neo Rauch is a German artist whose paintings mine the intersection of his personal history with the politics of industrial alienation. His work reflects the influence of socialist realism, and owes a debt to Surrealists Giorgio de Chirico and René Magritte, although Rauch hesitates to align himself with surrealism. He studied at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig, and he lives in Markkleeberg near Leipzig, Germany and works as the principal artist of the New Leipzig School. The artist is represented by Galerie EIGEN + ART Leipzig/Berlin and David Zwirner, New York.
Rauch's paintings suggest a narrative intent but, as art historian Charlotte Mullins explains, closer scrutiny immediately presents the viewer with enigmas: "Architectural elements peter out; men in uniform from throughout history intimidate men and women from other centuries; great struggles occur but their reason is never apparent; styles change at a whim."
Tilo Baumgärtel is a German artist who lives and works in Leipzig.
His paintings go back to the works of social realism and large-format propaganda posters. The artist works with a variety of mediums and techniques. In addition to painting, he also uses lithography, drawings on paper, and video. Pictorial space and the creation of sometimes surrealistic landscapes is one of his central themes.
Tilo Baumgärtel also collaborates with theaters, developing sets and videos on scenography.