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German intensity, French irony

"Since I'm German, I can't get away from the Expressionist label"
"Circus rider", by E.L. Kirchner, 1911

Passionately pessimistic, forbidden by Hitler, Expressionism returned in force after the war and remains a major trend in German art. Its energy is often dark and brooding. German artists seem to bear the burden of their country's terrifying past.

"The Biker", by Harald Wolff, 2007

"The biker," the painter says, "is violent. He uses his motorcycle like a weapon." He expresses disconnection with an energy that can indeed place him among the Expressionists. But his irony is reinforced by 25 years in France.

 

 

  • The work is elegant, taut and caustic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The artist exhibits in Paris, but more often...

 

 

Invitation to an exhibit in Berlin

in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands...

 

In this his career is typical and illustrates an important reason for Paris's continued preponderance in art's creation. 

     

     

     

    • He lives in Saint-Denis, a Communist bastion where the kings are entombed

     

     

    The town fights the emergence of violent, one-class neighborhoods by encouraging artists to live in potential trouble-spots. 

     

    The artist's studio is City-awarded. We can ask him how this policy has worked.

     

     

     
    Facing the studio

     

    The visit to the Basilica and the studio are surprisingly complementary.

     

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    Works photographed by the artist

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    •Studio visits

     •New Year's card