Top 50 neo-expressionist painters: Baselitz, Kiefer, Schnabel and the others

Before the grid

Why neo-expressionism brings painting back

Neo-expressionism is less a unique style than a climate: a voluntary return to the canvas, to the visible gesture, to the figure, to the story and to the material. In Germany, he confronts history and memory; in Italy, Transavanguardia reactivates myths; in New York, Basquiat, Schnabel, Fischl and Longo cross streets, media images and postmodernity.

The selection also includes precursors and heirs when their work directly sheds light on this return of the figure: Bacon, Dubuffet, Guston, Dumas, Lassnig, Barcelo, Kentridge and Doig show that pictorial expression goes far beyond the 1980s.

Method

How the 50 artists were selected

The selection favors artists associated with neo-expressionism, Transavanguardia, Neue Wilde, Free Figuration and the postmodern return of the figure. She adds some precursors and heirs when their work helps to understand matter, body, image and narrative.

According to the usual rule, artists who died after 1956 or were alive refer to Wikipedia.

Choose an entry

Where to start?

For the historical core, start with Baselitz, Kiefer, Schnabel, Clemente, Chia, Cucchi, Paladino, Penck, Immendorff and Lüpertz. For New York, look at Basquiat, Fischl, Rothenberg, Murray, Longo, Haring and Condo.

To expand, Dumas, Lassnig, Bacon, Dubuffet, Barcelo, Doig, Kentridge, Chéri Samba and Zhang Xiaogang show how the expressive return of the figure becomes global.

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