Klaus Prior (1945) - Figura

Klaus Prior (*1945) – “Figura”, 2023

Originalgemäldel auf Büttenpapier – ca. 77 × 55 cm – handsigniert

A work of immediate impact – reduced, uncompromising and entirely within Klaus Prior’s unmistakable visual world.

“Figura” from 2023 shows a powerful, essential-focused human figure. Archaic, expressive and at the same time distinguished by remarkable graphic clarity, the figure faces the viewer.

Sometimes art does not need narrative details to dominate a space. Prior condenses the human figure into a few decisive forms, creating an image effect that does not exhaust itself at first glance. The depicted figure appears physically present, without being naturalistic; humanly recognizable, yet consciously reduced to its elemental form.

It is precisely in this tension that the special quality of Prior’s work lies. The figure seems to have developed from an immediate artistic impulse. Movement, physicality and expression are not academically elaborated, but translated into a concentrated and concise visual language.

The painterly surface merges with Prior’s clear, expressive form language. The rag paper lends the work a special materiality and enhances its effect as an autonomous original on paper.

With a size of ca. 77 × 55 cm, “Figura” possesses an unmistakably powerful presence. The format is large enough to showcase the artist’s characteristic figure language impressively, while remaining versatile in presentation – suitable for private living spaces as well as a demanding collection.

About the Artist

Klaus Prior was born in 1945 in Wesel and moved to Switzerland in the mid-1960s. From 1967 he studied painting at the St. Gallen School of Design. For decades he has developed his independent artistic position between painting, drawing and sculpture.

His oeuvre includes works on paper and canvas as well as monumental wooden sculptures and plastic works. A central component of his work is the dealing with the human figure.

Characteristic of Prior is his immediate and concentrated working method. Not the naturalistic reproduction of the human body is central, but its condensation into an elemental, expressive form. This creates figures of great physical presence and at the same time a peculiar openness to interpretation by the viewer.

Prior’s works are in numerous public, institutional and private collections in Germany and Switzerland. Among the mentioned collections are the Kunstmuseum Singen and the Städtische Museum Wesel.

Internationally, his artistic achievements have been presented in numerous exhibitions. His exhibition activity includes stops in Germany, Switzerland and Italy as well as other international art contexts.

Work Data

Artist: Klaus Prior (*1945, Wesel)
Title: “Figura”
Year: 2023
Technique: Painting
Material: Rag paper
Dimensions: 77 × 55 cm
Signature: hand-signed
Work status: Original painting / Unique

An expressive original

“Figura” is not a purely decorative artwork that merely fits into a space. The work demands attention and asserts its presence through its decisive formal language and Klaus Prior’s characteristic expressivity.

The generous format of 77 × 55 cm, the execution on rag paper and the direct depiction of the human figure make this original a striking example of Prior’s independent artistic handwriting.

A characterful original by an established German-Swiss artist – created in 2023, hand-signed and in the format 77 × 55 cm.

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