Reiner Karge (1944-1994) - Figure

Reiner Karge (1944-1994), Figure, Unicum on paper, 1982, mixed media, 60 x 42 cm
Beautifully framed work, in good condition.
General conditions good, slight signs of age.

Beautifully framed work (the frame is to be regarded as kindly offered as a complimentary gift)

Dimensions: 60 x 42 cm (the work) + frame

# REINER KARGE (1944–1994)

**German painter and artist, exponent of European neo-expressionist painting of the second half of the 20th century.**

Reiner Karge was born in 1944 in Bad Schwartau, near Hamburg, the city where he developed artistically. From a very young age he showed a strong interest in the visual arts, attending the evening courses at the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg and, subsequently, the Kunstschule Alsterdamm, where he deepened his study of painting and graphics.

Parallel to his university studies in biology and pedagogy, he continued his artistic training at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts, meeting significant personalities of the German art scene, including Klaus Bendixen, KP Brehmer and Alfred Hrdlicka.

His research develops within an expressive figurative framework, characterized by a strong emotional component, vigorous brushwork and an intense and symbolic use of color. His works address themes related to the human condition, nature, solitude and the psychological tensions of the individual, through often enigmatic images of remarkable dramatic intensity.

During the seventies he participated in groups of German artists, including Guernica and Junge Realisten, interested in art capable of confronting contemporary social and cultural issues.

From 1978 he settled in Italy, in Castellaro, inland of the Ligurian Riviera, where he developed a new phase of his research. The encounter with the Mediterranean landscape and the Italian cultural environment helped enrich his painting language, in which the human figure, botanical elements and symbolic suggestions assume an ever more central role.

The works of the eighties are distinguished by compositions of strong visual impact, in which bodies, faces and figures emerge from settings dense with narrative tension. Color, often bright and contrasting, becomes an essential element in the construction of space and in the expression of emotional states.

His exhibition activity developed across Germany, Italy, Switzerland and France. Documented milestones include solo shows in Hamburg and Göttingen, the exhibition at Galerie A16 in Zurich in 1983, the show Presence inquietanti (Unsettling Presences) in Sanremo in 1985 and an exhibition in Freienbach, Switzerland, in 1986.

During his stay in Liguria Karge taught painting and etching in Sanremo, actively participating in the territory’s cultural life and forming relationships with intellectuals and poets, among them Giuseppe Conte and Lamberto Garzia.

A multifaceted artist, he also pursued drawing, music and theater, developing a creative path in which different expressive languages intertwine.

His work has been the subject of studies and publications, including the monograph Reiner Karge, edited by Sandra Reberschak and published by Fabbri Editori in 1989.

Reiner Karge’s painting sits within European neo-expressionist research, standing out for its personal fusion of Nordic sensitivity and Mediterranean allusions, between psychological intensity, the vigor of the painterly gesture and chromatic richness.

### Essential Bibliography

- Sandra Reberschak, Reiner Karge, Fabbri Editori, Milan, 1989.
- Germano Beringheli, Dictionary of Ligurian Artists, 1991.
- Manya Brunzema, entry “Karge, Reiner,” in Der neue Rump – Lexikon der bildenden Künstler Hamburgs, 2013.

Express, trackable and insured shipping, with professional packing.

For buyers residing in the EEA/European Union there are no customs duties or other taxes to be paid.