Gouache on composition board
Germany, 1981
A.R. Penck (b. 1939) – German painter, draughtsman, sculptor, film maker, writer and musician
Signed, inscribed and dated in pencil lower right ‘sc ar penck L 1981’
Full margins; framed and matted
Image dimensions: 22 x 30 in. (55.9 x 76.2 cm.)
Overall dimensions: 26 ¾ x 35 ¼ in. (67.9 x 89.5 cm.)
Very good condition

Four anthropomorphic shapes, receding in size from left to right, dominate the image, their bold pink color intersected with black zig-zagging lines and “x’s”. Neon yellow lines swirl behind the forms, with thick black splatters and lines bold against the pale pink background. This untitled work by German artist A.R. Penck is a prime example of the artist’s signature Neo-Expressionist style featuring simplified figures and neo-primitive patterns.

Executed in 1981, this gouache on composition board is signed, inscribed and dated in the lower right. With full margins, the work is framed and matted. The work measures 22 x 30 inches. In overall good condition.

A.R. Penck (German, b. 1939)

Considered a Neo-Expressionist along with artists such as Sigmar Polke and Anselm Kiefer, A.R. Penck (Ralf Winkler) is best known for his paintings and sculptures characterized by simplified figures and forms, and neo-primitive symbols and patterns. Born Ralf Winkler, the artist adopted his pseudonym after reading the work of the geologist Albrecht Penck. A.R. Penck lived in East Berlin from 1963 to 1972; unable to exhibit there publicly, he smuggled works out to West Berlin and Switzerland, where he enjoyed enough fame to provide him some protection from the German police. Penck’s style fused spontaneous self-expression with restraint, and pop cultural and art historical influences with political and social concerns. As a sculptor, he was constructing objects as early as the 1960s made from cardboard boxes, slats, used bottles, and tinfoil and later. Penck was also a jazz musician and published theoretical writings, sometimes juxtaposing or interspersing them with poems. He worked collaboratively at various times with the West German artist Jorg Immendorff. Penck acquired an exit visa from East Germany in 1980, and since then has worked in Dublin, London, Düsseldorf, and Cologne.