353 - RAUCH, NEO

RAUCH, NEO 1960 Leipzig Title: Work. Date: 1994. Technique: Mixed media on Hahnemühle (watermark). Dimensions: 56 x 78.5 cm. Notation: Signed and dated lower right: RAUCH 94. Provenance: - Galerie Eigen + Art, Leipzig/Berlin - Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia - Neo Rauch is considered the most important representative of the New Leipzig School and ranks among the most significant contemporary German painters. - An early work, created at the onset of Rauch’s international rise. - Features a characteristic, enigmatic visual world situated between figuration and surrealism. Born in Leipzig in 1960, Neo Rauch studied at the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts under Arno Rink and was a master student of Bernhard Heisig from 1986 to 1990. Beginning in 1993, he held his first solo exhibitions and enjoyed a rapid rise to international prominence. Rauch’s distinctive visual worlds combine figurative painting with influences from Surrealism, Pop Art, and comic and poster art. Familiar-looking figures, spaces, and objects come together to form enigmatic scenarios in which dream and reality, past and present, intertwine. In doing so, Rauch champions figurative painting at a time when it is widely considered outdated, and emerges as a central figure in German painting following reunification. Created in 1994, this work on paper dates from the early phase in which Rauch developed his characteristic visual language. Against a light background—in places reworked with glazes—an open composition unfolds, consisting of figurative fragments, abstract areas of color, lines, and marks. On the right side of the image, a male figure stands out against a dark expanse of color, while other representational fragments remain only vaguely recognizable. A bright yellow, heart-shaped form in the upper center of the image draws particular attention, standing out clearly against the subdued color palette of blue and green tones. Scattered across the light, warm-toned paper background are individual letters and circular elements, like enigmatic ciphers. The varied traces of drawing and painting lend the composition an air of both spontaneity and complexity. Rauch’s characteristic approach is already evident here: familiar visual elements combine to form a surreal scene that defies a clear narrative and opens up a space rich with associations. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: This lot is not suitable for parcel shipping. Transport is available only through a shipping company after consultation following the auction. Additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to a total invoice amount of 25,000 euros: max. 41.65 euros For a total invoice amount exceeding 25,000 euros: 1.8 per thousand Shipping to the U.S. by individual arrangement after the auction. #Neo Rauch #New Leipzig School #Germany #Contemporary Art #1990s #Contemporary Art. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obligated to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price toward this fee.