Realism

– Painting traditions between communism and post-communism

case study Leipzig –

The talk will focus on a case study of Leipzig, its ‘schools’, protagonists and the historical and current reception of figurative art in Germany.

1.         Communist era – What Socialist Realism means and the impact it had on the reception of figurative painting in both Eastern and Western Germany. Referring to the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts and the ‘Leipzig School’: Wolfgang Mattheuer, Werner Tübke and Bernhard Heisig.

2.         Post-Communist era – ‘The image war’ of Weimar: The differences of art perception, Eastern Germany versus Western Germany.

3.         Present –The art market and the ‘New Leipzig School – Case study Eigen & Art. How Eigen & Art came to the forefront in shaping the figurative painting sector of the global art market. Rehabilitating both the face of a cultural city and the trend of figurative painting. How we look at figurative painting today and what role the global art market and the media play with the way we perceive art.