Peter Klasen Biography
Peter Klasen was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1935. From a young age he was attracted to drawing and painting and continued his artistic studies at the Berlin School of Fine Arts from 1956 to 1959. During this time, he became friends by the artist Georg Baselitz. Klasen moved to Paris in the early 1960s and soon became one of the leading figures of the New Figuration or Narrative Figuration movement (along with artists such as Valerio Adami and Erró), which sought to give new meaning to figurative art. Klasen has developed a distinctive visual language, exploring and reinterpreting the signs of urban space and society as a whole. He was fascinated by the images that were constantly circulating in the media and used metaphorical paintings to criticize the homogenization of Western lifestyles. His art is colorful and accessible, and although he encountered difficulties early in his career, he achieved great success in the 1970s. Through his paintings and graphic works, Klasen aimed to stimulate critical reflection on the world around us, delicately balancing between sensual and industrial, pleasant and repulsive, light and darkness, good and bad taste. It reveals ambiguous situations and characters, inviting the viewer to confront the contradictions and hyperreality of the objects it portrays. Klasen worked with a wide range of materials for his pieces, such as linen, iron, tin, and wood, and his work has been exhibited in prestigious museums and galleries around the world. He lives and works in Paris, remaining a master of contrasts in his artwork.
