Clemens Kaletsch (1957) - Probe ständig

Clemens Kaletsch (*1957) – Original Unikat 2006 – Signed abstract painting on paper – Neue Wilde – Arnulf Rainer pupil – Provenance: Cologne

Expressive abstraction with exceptional provenance – Original work by Clemens Kaletsch from 2006

For sale is an expressive, hand-signed original work by the renowned German painter Clemens Kaletsch (*1957 in Munich), who in the 1980s belonged to the circle of the Neue Wilden and is today regarded as an independent contributor to German contemporary painting.

The work, an overpainted graphic, was created in 2006, is personally signed and dated by the artist, and bears the handwritten note “Probe ständig.”

The sheet comes from an exceptional collection of the artist’s original works and has a documented provenance.
The artwork – gestural painting between spontaneity and composition

A powerful, almost explosive composition in bright red, intense blue, deep black and gray color fields over a graphic print defines the appearance of this remarkable piece.

In the center unfolds a dynamic red color formation that extends horizontally across the sheet. Above and below, lively blue brushstrokes run, while a monumental black, almost calligraphic form dominates the upper image area.

Transparent color layers, fine drawn structures, splatters, overlaps and spontaneous gestural interventions give the work a special spatial depth.

The tension between controlled composition and immediate painterly gesture makes the distinctive allure of this sheet.

The varied materials and painting applications create a multi-layered interplay of transparency and opacity, movement and quiet, chance and deliberate placement.

The work conveys strikingly that artistic freedom for which expressive painting of the late German post-war modern era and, in particular, the Neue Wilde generation, is known.

The artist – Clemens Kaletsch

Clemens Kaletsch was born in 1957 in Munich. He studied at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna with Oswald Oberhuber as well as at the Academy of Fine Arts with Arnulf Rainer, one of the most important Austrian artists of the 20th century.

In the 1980s Kaletsch was attributed to the circle of the Neue Wilde, that group of painters who, with expressive colors, powerful gesture and a new freedom of artistic expression, attracted international attention.

Kaletsch developed from this an autonomous visual language in which painterly spontaneity, drawing elements and complex pictorial spaces combine.

He lives and works in Cologne and Polling near Weilheim.

Provenance – exceptional origin

This original is part of a collection of signed and unsigned works by Clemens Kaletsch created roughly between 2003 and 2007.

According to the records, the artist left the works with a moving company in connection with a relocation.

The work subsequently passed into private ownership and has been in a private collection in Cologne since 2024.

Details about the artwork

- Artist: Clemens Kaletsch (*1957, Munich)
- Title: Untitled
- Year of creation: 2006
- Technique: Mixed media on paper, gestural painting with drawn elements
- Dimensions: approx. 21 × 29.5 cm
- Signature: Bottom right, hand-signed
- Dating: Bottom center “2006”
- Additional inscription: Bottom left handwritten “Probe ständig”
- Style: Expressive abstraction, German contemporary art, circle of the Neue Wilde
- Execution: Unique piece, not a print, no reproduction
- Provenance: From a collection of original works by the artist; private property

Condition

The sheet shows age- and material-typical traces, including isolated stains, paint splatters and surface irregularities. These are partly part of the artistic working process.

The reverse side also bears color traces and discolorations, documented in the photographs.

Please note the numerous close-up shots, which constitute an essential part of the condition description.

An interesting collectible of German contemporary art

An authentic, signed single work by an academically trained artist from the Neue Wilde milieu, whose artistic development was shaped by encounters with prominent figures such as Arnulf Rainer and Oswald Oberhuber.

Particularly appealing is the expressive quality of the composition, the hand-signed signature and dating, as well as the unusual, documented provenance.

An interesting opportunity for collectors of German contemporary art, expressive painting, gestural abstraction, and original artist’s works from the 2000s.