Claus Bertermann (1965) - Apples

Artist: Claus Bertermann

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

The story behind “Apples”

A summer afternoon under an apple tree. She holds him close, closes her eyes and kisses his cheek. He holds her too, but his gaze travels past us, out of the picture to the right, as if he had just spotted something wonderful on the horizon.

Now look up: the branches are full of apples, ripe and glowing in red and orange. A couple under an apple tree is one of the oldest stories in painting, the story of Adam and Eve. In this version, nobody reaches for the fruit. They already have everything they want. She has found it right here, with her eyes closed; he is looking ahead to the future they will share. Two ways of being happy, held together in one embrace.

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

On the left, the woman with dark hair, a soft lilac face and red lips, wrapped in a glowing orange top with violet shadows, her eyes closed as she leans into him. On the right, the young man with a bright yellow face, deep blue hair and red lips, in a dark green and blue shirt, looking to the right. Above them, dark branches heavy with red and orange apples; behind them, a background of fresh green, yellow and turquoise. Signed in blue oil stick at the lower right.

One detail for those who look twice: their lips are painted in exactly the same red as the apples above them.

Why it is worth the price

A large, museum-scale painting from the first year of a radically new series. “Apples” joins “Common Ground”, “Beso”, “Orbit” and “Nocturne” in a group of works about couples, each showing a different moment of closeness. Warm, joyful and full of summer light, it brings a sense of happiness and abundance to a living room, a dining room or a bedroom.

Key details for collectors

– Title: Apples
– 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.