Claus Bertermann (1965) - Gatekeeper

Artist: Claus Bertermann

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

The story behind "Gatekeeper"

She sits in a deep green armchair, wrapped in a flowing red coat, and looks straight at you. Calm, confident, completely at ease. But before you reach her, there is someone else to meet: at her feet sits a slender hound with long, dark ears, upright and attentive, studying you with the same steady gaze. Every visitor to this room passes him first.

Look closer, and the gatekeeper turns out to be her mirror image. His dark ears fall exactly like her hair, and his eyes have the same deep blue calm as hers. He is not guarding her from the world; he is welcoming it on her behalf. Two faces, one judgement, made in the first second. And judging by their composure, you have already been invited in.

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 woman with short dark hair, a luminous yellow face and red lips sits in a green armchair, her red and orange coat spreading down to the floor. In front of her sits a hound in warm orange and brown with long dark ears, his head at the centre of the canvas. Behind them, a glowing yellow wall, a burst of pink, red and orange flowers on the left and a blue curtain on the right. Signed in green oil stick at the lower right.

One detail for those who look twice: the dog sits on the hem of her coat, exactly where a doorman would stand, right on the threshold.

Why it is worth the price

A large, museum-scale painting in portrait format from the first year of a radically new series. "Gatekeeper" joins "Affinity" and "Windspiel" in a small group of works about a woman and her dog, each telling a different chapter of the same quiet partnership. With two figures looking directly at the viewer, it has a strong, welcoming presence, a warm and witty work that makes any entrance hall or living room feel inhabited.

Key details for collectors

– Title: Gatekeeper
– Year: 2026
– Dimensions (H x W): 200 x 150 cm (79 × 59 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.