The Dresden-born painter Volker Stelzmann, who initially worked in Leipzig and later in Berlin, will be celebrating his 75th birthday on the 5th of November, 2015. He witnessed the dramatic upheavals of recent German history as well as the Second World War, the dirigiste socialism of the GDR and, after his defection to West Berlin in 1986, both the Eastern Bloc’s collapse and the reunification of Germany. Although the artist is considered one of the leading figures of the Leipzig School, Volker Stelzmann’s artistic oeuvre is largely unencumbered by these events. His paintings and drawings, which are characterized by a deep respect for the style of the Old Masters, have displayed a steadfast continuity, if not pertinacity of style, since the early 1970s. His work is committed to the depiction of humanity in all its material and existential facets, and proffers a reflection of contemporary social conditions ensconced in a fascinating synthesis and codification of art historical traditions, above all those of Italian Mannerism and German New Objectivity.
As in his preceding exhibition at the Osthaus Museum in Hagen, which was held in conjunction with the conferral of the Karl Ernst Osthaus Prize, Volker Stelzmann views the exhibition at DIE GALERIE as a kind of “interim review” featuring works spanning 40 years of productivity. Volker Stelzmann has dedicated himself entirely to painting since being conferred the status of professor emeritus at the Berlin University of Art in 2006.
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