Claus Bertermann (1965) - Ricochet

Artist: Claus Bertermann

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

The story behind "Ricochet"

A woman sits at the centre of a bright room, wrapped in a flowing coat of red, green and midnight blue, and looks straight at you. At her feet, a golden French bulldog has eyes only for her. Behind her shoulder, a man with a green face leans into the picture, his gaze heading your way.

Follow the looks and they keep moving. The dog looks up at her, she looks at you, and the man looks almost at you, just past your shoulder. Attention travels through the room like a stone skipping across water: a ricochet, from glance to glance. Every look lands somewhere new, and the last one lands on whoever stands in front of the canvas. You are not only watching this scene, you complete it. And the man's glance is still on its way, which is why the painting starts over every time you look again.

About the artist

Claus Bertermann holds a Master's degree in Architecture (TU Munich) and is an internationally collected contemporary artist, with more than 1,000 large-format works in private and institutional collections, including a monumental triptych at the Technical University of Munich. His abstract paintings have reached top auction results such as €18,900 at C. h. r. i. s. t. i. e´s Paris and €15,240 at S. o. t. h. e. b. y´s Cologne, with further sales at V. a. n. H. a. m, A. r. t. c. u. r. i. a. l and D. o. r. o. t. h. e. u. m.

In 2026 he started a radically new figurative series: people and scenes in bold, emotional colour, inspired by German Expressionism. First he paints the background with loose, broad brushstrokes. Then he draws the figures on top with oil stick, in clear and confident lines.

Visual description

A dark-haired woman with a red ribbon in her hair, red lips and blue eyes sits at the centre in a coat of fiery red with streaks of green and deep blue. At the lower left, a golden French bulldog with upright ears turns its head towards her; at the upper right, a man with a green face, painted more freely, emerges from the blue. Bright yellow, turquoise and orange fill the room around them. Signed in yellow-green oil stick at the lower right.

One detail for those who look twice: the green of the man's face returns in the woman's coat, as if the two were connected by more than a glance.

Why it is worth the price

A large, museum-scale painting from the first year of a radically new figurative series, at 150 x 200 cm a true statement piece for a living room, a gallery wall or a collector's study. Its glowing yellows, reds and blues bring warmth and energy into any space, and its play of glances turns every visitor into part of the scene. A joyful, witty work for collectors who love painting that looks back at them.

Key details for collectors

– Title: Ricochet
– Year: 2026
– Dimensions (H x W): 150 x 200 cm (59 × 79 inches)
– Medium: Acrylic and oil stick on canvas
– Original, one-of-a-kind artwork
– Signed by the artist on the front and back side; title, year and the artist's full name inscribed on the back
– Certificate of authenticity included
– Condition: excellent; all surface irregularities are intentional and part of the artist's process
– Sold unframed and without stretcher bars; shipped rolled for safe international transport
– Additional white border of approx. 10 cm (approx. 4 inches) on all sides, allowing professional restretching on museum-quality stretcher bars up to 6 cm (approx. 2.4 inches) deep for a clean, frameless, gallery-style presentation
– Professional stretching is the responsibility of the buyer
– Professional packaging and worldwide shipping with premium carriers such as UPS

Please note regarding the room views:

Some of the photographs show the painting digitally placed in an interior. These room views are AI-visualisations, created to give an impression of scale and presence only — they are not photographs of the actual work hanging in a room. Both the size proportions and the colours shown in them may differ from the original. The binding references are the dimensions stated above (H x W) and the studio photograph of the painting itself. Please also note that colours may appear differently depending on screen calibration.