Claus Bertermann (1965) - Stranded on Track

Artist: Claus Bertermann

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.bertermann.art

The story behind "Stranded on Track"

The car has stopped at the side of the track. Engine failure, or a collision with a rival? We do not know. The driver sits on the sill of his car, goggles pushed up on his leather helmet, and looks back down the track with a piercing gaze. He knows exactly what happened, and he has already decided what to do about it.

And here is the twist: in the 1960s a stranded driver often had to wait at the trackside until the race was over. Every other driver saw that stretch of track for a few seconds; he had a whole race to study it. Bertermann paints him as the best-informed man on the circuit. Today's race has given him everything he needs to win the next one.

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

The driver sits at the centre of the canvas on the sill of a low, black sports-racing car, in a blue jacket with orange gloves, his face in green with red lips, a leather helmet with goggles pushed up on his forehead. The car stretches across the full width, with a pale blue wheel on the left and a pink wheel on the right, against a band of green grass and a dark sky. Signed in green oil stick at the lower right.

One detail for those who look twice: his orange gloves are still on. The race is over, but he has not finished.

Why it is worth the price

A large, museum-scale painting from the first year of a radically new series, and part of the motor-racing cycle of 2026 ("No Halo", "Eau Rouge", "Parc Fermé", "Pit Stop" and "Stranded on Track"). Its strong central figure and direct gaze give it a powerful presence on the wall. A rare crossover piece, as appealing to collectors of contemporary figurative painting as to lovers of motorsport history: a portrait of determination that turns a setback into a beginning.

Key details for collectors

– Title: Stranded on Track
– 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.