Artist: Claus Bertermann OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art The story behind "Cross the Line" A racing driver in the 1960s, a few seconds after the finish. The engine is quiet now. He has pushed his goggles up onto his helmet, rests his arm on the side of the car and looks straight at you, calm and clear. Behind him rises the arch he has just driven through. Look again at that arch. It looks less like the end of a race than like a doorway. "Crossing the line" means more than finishing: it means going further than anyone expected, taking the step after which everything is new. He has not simply arrived; he has passed through. And the man who painted him knows that feeling well. In 2026, after more than 1,000 abstract works, Claus Bertermann crossed his own line and began to paint people. About the artist Claus Bertermann holds a Master's degree in Architecture (TU Munich) and is an internationally collected contemporary artist, with more than 1,000 large-format works in private and institutional collections, including a monumental triptych at the Technical University of Munich. His abstract paintings have reached top auction results such as €18,900 at C. h. r. i. s. t. i. e´s Paris and €15,240 at S. o. t. h. e. b. y´s Cologne, with further sales at V. a. n. H. a. m, A. r. t. c. u. r. i. a. l and D. o. r. o. t. h. e. u. m. In 2026 he started a radically new figurative series: people and scenes in bold, emotional colour, inspired by German Expressionism. First he paints the background with loose, broad brushstrokes. Then he draws the figures on top with oil stick, in clear and confident lines. Visual description A racing driver with a calm green face, an orange leather helmet and goggles pushed up on his forehead sits in a deep blue open racing car, his orange arm resting on its side. In front of him, a black steering wheel outlined in red; behind him, a blue arch rising over the finish, with stripes of yellow, orange and blue to the left. On the front of the car, a yellow circle with a black cross. Signed in red oil stick at the lower right. One detail for those who look twice: the yellow circle on the car carries a cross, as if the title had been painted onto the bodywork. Why it is worth the price A large, museum-scale painting from the first year of a radically new series. "Cross the Line" joins "No Halo", "Eau Rouge", "Parc Fermé", "Pit Stop" and "Stranded on Track" in a cycle of works about the golden era of motor racing, each showing a different moment of courage and confidence. With its strong blues and oranges and a driver who looks the viewer in the eye, it gives a study, an office or a collector's garage a confident, inspiring presence. Key details for collectors – Title: Cross the Line – Year: 2026 – Dimensions (H x W): 150 x 200 cm (59 × 79 inches) – Medium: Acrylic and oil stick on canvas – Original, one-of-a-kind artwork – Signed by the artist on the front and back side; title, year and the artist's full name inscribed on the back – Certificate of authenticity included – Condition: excellent; all surface irregularities are intentional and part of the artist's process – Sold unframed and without stretcher bars; shipped rolled for safe international transport – Additional white border of approx. 10 cm (approx. 4 inches) on all sides, allowing professional restretching on museum-quality stretcher bars up to 6 cm (approx. 2.4 inches) deep for a clean, frameless, gallery-style presentation – Professional stretching is the responsibility of the buyer – Professional packaging and worldwide shipping with premium carriers such as UPS Please note regarding the room views: Some of the photographs show the painting digitally placed in an interior. These room views are AI-visualisations, created to give an impression of scale and presence only — they are not photographs of the actual work hanging in a room. Both the size proportions and the colours shown in them may differ from the original. The binding references are the dimensions stated above (H x W) and the studio photograph of the painting itself. Please also note that colours may appear differently depending on screen calibration.