Oliver Plehn - The dentist

The Dentist, a work created with oil paint on a canvas measuring 60 cm by 50 cm in 2021. Signed with a black marker in the lower right corner. It comes with a certificate of authenticity, in pristine condition. The work is shipped rolled inside a tube.

Mirrors of the Self: Portraits of Fragility and Fortitude

By Antonio Sánchez. Director and curator of 1819 Art Gallery

The collection before us is an emotive compendium of works that explore the depth of the human condition through portraits and figures laden with symbolism. These pieces are interwoven with a visual narrative that unfolds a palette of subtle and often somber colors, evoking introspective and contemplative moods. Technical prowess reveals not only mastery of the medium but also an intense emotional connection between the artist and their subjects, each bearer of a silent yet palpable story.

The textures and techniques used range from softly blurred to aggressively marked, reflecting the diversity of human emotions and the complexity of our experiences. The strokes, whether firm or tremulous, together with the interplay of light and shadow, build an atmosphere that transcends the visual to touch the soul of the viewer.

The work oscillates between literal representation and abstraction, allowing the viewer's mind to fill in the gaps and encouraging deeper engagement. The intentional use of discordant or unexpected elements, such as a knife piercing the face of a figure, challenges our perceptions and prompts an introspective reflection on what it means to be human in times of emotional and social turmoil.

The collection as a whole serves as a mirror of the fragility and strength inherent in the human spirit. Each piece, while remaining unique in its expression, contributes to a broader dialogue about resilience and vulnerability. The choice of subjects, from human figures to representations of animals, each imbued with deep emotion, amplifies this dialogue, suggesting a universality in our emotional experiences.

This collection of works, beyond being merely a display of technical skill, is a testament to the power of art to move, connect, and challenge. The collection not only captures the aesthetic beauty of its subjects, but also acts as a catalyst for personal and collective exploration of deep and often contradictory emotions. In doing so, these works invite viewers to confront the unknown within themselves and in the world around them, offering a space for recognition and catharsis.

Artist Biography – Oliver Plehn
The work of German painter and draftsman Oliver Plehn is characterized by expressive representations of the human and animal body. Faces and bodies form the center of his artistic universe: powerful, sensitive, and full of psychological depth. From his childhood, he was influenced by the imagery of the German Expressionists, whose emotional immediacy and formal freedom remain a reference point in his artistic language to this day.
From a young age, Plehn decided to be an artist and maintain his creative independence. In addition to studying painting and drawing at art schools, he pursued studies in natural sciences, which afforded him professional independence and artistic freedom. In the early 1990s, a scholarship in the field of quantum mechanics took him to Madrid.
Oliver Plehn lives with his wife and two daughters in the Carabanchel Alto neighborhood of Madrid.

Artistic Statement
My work stems from a desire to understand the human condition in its deepest and most contradictory aspects. Throughout my career, I have explored portraiture as a means to reveal not only the visible, but also the hidden: repressed emotions, scars of the soul, gestures of silent resistance. I paint from a place of fragility, from that liminal space where pain and beauty coexist without permission.
I'm not interested in capturing perfect faces, but rather presence, the kind that speaks of what remains unspoken. I'm drawn to silences, to gazes that carry stories, to bodies that vibrate with lived experience. Each work is, for me, an attempt at dialogue with the unknown, that inner territory from which we often try to escape.
My goal as an artist is to create images that are not only observed, but that challenge the viewer. I want them to act as mirrors in which one can find something of oneself, even in unease or discomfort. I work figuratively, yes, but I seek in it an opening to mystery, to doubt, to emotion that defies words.
I feel that art has the power to heal, to reveal, and to accompany. In this sense, my practice is also a form of care: for myself, and for all those who approach these images with an open heart.

Exhibitions
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Online presence on Artsy
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Online presence on Flecha.es
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Online presence at 1819 Art Gallery
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“Aqua versus Terra”, September 1-30, 2025, Madrid
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“Hidden Madrid”, June 1 to July 15, 2025, Madrid
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“The Gods of Muay Thai and a Strange One”, December 1, 2022 – January 6, 2023, Madrid
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Exhibition at the Yale Graduate School of Art, March 2021
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Solo exhibition at Madrid-Barajas International Airport "Faces of the World", December 30, 2019 – February 7, 2020
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Solo exhibition "The Passion of the Christ" at the German church Friedenskirche, Calle Serrano 6, Madrid
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Exhibition at the United Artist Fair 2019 at the Casa de Cantabria, Madrid, February 2019
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Painting exhibition on Serrano Street, Madrid, December 2018 – February 2019
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Solo exhibition of paintings in Madrid, Spain, November 2018
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Painting exhibition in Madrid, Spain, Serrano Street, November 2016 – January 2017