Claus Bertermann - BLITZ LIEBE (XXL-format)

Artist: Claus Bertermann
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

Claus Bertermann is an internationally established contemporary artist whose market profile is backed by international market authority and exceptional secondary market results. Known for his powerful, large-format abstract works, Bertermann has consistently commanded high-tier prices at the world’s most prestigious auction houses. His top realized prices include €18,900 at C. h. r. i. s. t. i. e´s Paris (Retro Zen), €15,240 at S. o. t. h. e. b. y´s Cologne (F5TP#CB), and €15,120 at C. h. r. i. s. t. i. e´s Paris (Whispershade). With additional successful sales at V. a. n. H. a. m, A. r. t. c. u. r. i. a. l, T. a. j. a. n, and D. o. r. o. t. h. e. u. m, Bertermann’s work is a proven asset for serious collectors worldwide.

From Architectural Abstraction to the Human Form

With a Master’s degree in Architecture (TU Munich), Bertermann originally gained global recognition for his "architectural strata" technique—layering and scraping oil paint to build spatial depth. Today, he brings this same structural intensity to his figurative practice. His figurative works are not mere depictions but explorations of presence and transience, blending his architectural precision with a raw, Neo-Expressionist energy.

International Artistic Footprint

With more than 1,000 large format works in private and institutional collections across the globe—including a monumental triptych at his alma mater, the Technical University of Munich—Bertermann continues to bridge the gap between rigorous structure and intuitive freedom. This Catawiki offering presents a rare opportunity to acquire an original figurative work from an artist with a solidified international auction record.

Important details for collectors

– Original, one-of-a-kind artwork - MADE BY A REAL PERSON, NOT AI.
– Dimensions (H x W): 160 x 160 cm (63 × 63 inches)
– Medium: Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
– Year: 2026
– Signed by the artist on the front and back side
– Ships rolled without frame

What makes this piece unique

"Blitz Liebe" (Lightning Love) catches two people in the exact instant the bolt lands—the half-second in which reason quietly files for early retirement and two strangers decide, against all available evidence, that they are now a single organism. Cheek pressed to cheek, four eyes thrown wide open, they stare out of the canvas with the slightly alarmed euphoria of people who have just fallen in love far too quickly and have no intention of slowing down.

It is love at first sight rendered as a beautiful electrical fault. There was no fuse, no warning light, no decent interval for second thoughts—only the flash, and then this: two faces welded together by a current neither of them ordered. A single butterfly makes its escape toward the upper corner, the last cliché to leave the building, as if even the proverbial "butterflies in the stomach" knew to get out before the voltage rose any higher.

Who struck whom first? Whose hand is resting on whose shoulder? The painting flatly refuses to clarify, and that is precisely the joke—Blitz Liebe never bothers with the paperwork. It leaves the viewer suspended in that giddy, faintly absurd suspense of the coup de foudre: thrilling, irreversible, and just a little ridiculous, which is, of course, exactly how it feels.

In his figurative works, Claus Bertermann deliberately shifts his physical painting process. Instead of traditional brushes, he applies the acrylic ground with a roller or extra-wide brush, forcing broader arm movements and reducing fine control. This produces a raw, electric field—here a vibrating acid-green—that carries visible momentum and bodily rhythm before a single face appears.

The figures are then drawn directly with oil pastel—intuitively and independently from the painted ground. The lines do not conform to the surface beneath them; they cut across it, looping the eyes, the grinning mouths and the restless fingers into existence. This separation between rough painterly field and assertive drawing establishes the tension the whole picture runs on: structure against impulse—the very mismatch that powers love at first sight.

Unlike his abstract works, Claus Bertermann does not scrape back layers here. The image is built forward: coarse acrylic application followed by decisive oil-pastel contours—no second-guessing, no undo.

Why it is worth the price

This is a large-scale, museum-sized painting (160 x 160 cm) executed through a highly physical process that emphasizes movement, immediacy, and material contrast. The partially roller-painted acrylic ground gives the surface an intense, rhythmic charge, while the vibrant oil-pastel contours introduce a fragile, human counterpoint—the trembling line of two people who have just been struck.

Bertermann's figurative paintings are characterized by this duality: raw construction paired with restrained conceptual clarity, creating a unique signature style. "Blitz Liebe" represents a mature, fully resolved example of this approach—a powerful 160 x 160 cm canvas that balances expressive, raw force with sharp psychological wit.

The piece reflects Claus Bertermann's ongoing exploration of contemporary connection, vulnerability, and presence, making it both visually compelling and conceptually lasting for collectors.

Visual description & condition

The composition centers on two intertwined figures pressed cheek to cheek, rendered through a dense, highly saturated network of expressive gestures and neon-like color fields. Brilliant electric pinks, intense yellows, and deep blues erupt across the faces, set against a luminous acid-green ground. Four wide, orange-rimmed eyes dominate the upper half; a broad, toothy grin animates the larger figure on the right, while the smaller figure on the left tilts inward, a hand raised toward the face. A single line-drawn butterfly hovers in the upper-left corner. Long blue strands and restless, white-outlined fingers descend into a dark lower register. Anatomy is intentionally distorted and abstracted to prioritize emotional weight and psychological depth over realism.

The acrylic surface remains rough and open, showing the distinct marks of the paint roller and wide brush. The expressive oil-pastel lines sit visibly on top, maintaining their independence from the ground. The work is signed "Bertermann" in blue at the lower right.

The work is unframed and not stretched. Condition is excellent. All surface irregularities are intentional and integral to the artist's process.

Background / artistic context

Claus Bertermann works within contemporary expressive figurative painting, focusing on states of being rather than representation. His figures function as carriers of internal conditions—here, the comic-tragic overload of sudden infatuation: suspended, exposed, gloriously unresolved.

By separating painterly gesture (acrylic with roller or wide brush) from drawing (oil-pastel silhouettes), Claus Bertermann creates a dialogue between body and space, control and exposure. "Blitz Liebe" embodies this method precisely: a distilled emotional event shaped through physical movement, intuitive line, and a brilliant, modern color palette.

Practical details for buyers:

Original, one-of-a-kind artwork
Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas
Dimensions (H x W): 160 x 160 cm (63 × 63 inches)
Signed by the artist on the front and back side
Certificate of authenticity included
Shipped rolled (not framed or stretched)
Professional packaging and worldwide shipping with premium shipping companies like UPS.

The canvas includes an additional continuous white border of approximately 10 cm (approx. 4 inches) on all sides beyond the painted surface. This margin allows the artwork to be professionally restretched on museum-quality stretcher bars up to 6 cm (approx. 2.4 inches) in depth, resulting in a clean, frameless, gallery-style presentation without the need for a decorative frame.

Please note that the artwork is sold unframed and without stretcher bars. Professional stretching is the responsibility of the buyer. The painting is shipped rolled for safe international transport and flexible installation according to the buyer's preference.

The artwork is signed on both front and reverse, with title, year, and the artist's full name inscribed on the back.