A detail of a painting by Neo Rauch, titled Im Turm, dated 2019
Neo Rauch
Neo Rauch in his studio, dated 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch, 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch, 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch’s (b. 1960) enigmatic paintings employ an eccentric iconography of human characters, animals, and hybrid forms within familiar but imaginary settings. In this recent painting, Rauch’s tableau-like composition fills the canvas entirely, shifting in both scale and perspective. Often Rauch takes the creative process as subject matter and here seems to suggest that the various watchmen figures can be seen as a metaphor for the multifaceted role of the artist in society.

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A painting by Neo Rauch, titled Im Turm, dated 2019

Neo Rauch

Im Turm, 2019
Oil on canvas
39 3/8 x 27 1/2 inches
100 x 70 cm 
Neo Rauch in his studio, dated 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch in his studio in Leipzig, Germany, 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch in his studio in Leipzig, Germany, 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

“In the distant past, it was the task of the watchman to look down at the horizon from a high viewpoint, and to make use of his brass instrument to warn the local population of imminent danger. This seems to me to be a useful metaphor for describing the role of the artist. In any case there are many ways to fulfill this role, whereby my sympathy lies with the principle of pensive introspection, which is embodied by the watchman on the left in the picture. He has the biggest instrument, and his warning call would be audible far and wide if he ever used it.” —⁠Neo Rauch

An installation view featuring paintings by Neo Rauch, dated 2019

Installation view, Neo Rauch: Paintings from 2008 to 2019, Andito degli Angiolini, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, 2019

Installation view, Neo Rauch: Paintings from 2008 to 2019, Andito degli Angiolini, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, 2019

“My process is far less a reflection than it is drawing from the sediments of my past, which occurs in an almost trancelike state.” —⁠Neo Rauch

A detail of a painting by Neo Rauch, titled Im Turm, dated 2019

Neo Rauch, Im Turm, 2019 (detail)

Neo Rauch, Im Turm, 2019 (detail)

Neo Rauch's studio, dated 2019. Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch, Im Turm, 2019 (studio detail). Photo by Uwe Walter

Neo Rauch, Im Turm, 2019 (studio detail). Photo by Uwe Walter


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please get in touch.

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