Synopsis
This is a study of A.R. Penck, one of the leading artists to emerge from postwar Germany. Born in 1939 in Dresden, then part of East Germany, Penck is one of a group of important German artists which includes Anselm Kiefer, Georg Baselitz and Sigmar Polke. The 97 paintings reproduced in this book are a selection of Penck's major works, and bring into perspective the full range of his art, both in the subjects he focuses upon and the wide range of materials he uses. The text by John Yau traces the remarkable career of this self-taught artist, who was not allowed to emigrate from East Germany until after 1980, and whose work was censored in his native country after 1965. There is also biographical information, enabling the reader to gain a fuller understanding of Penck's work and its sources and its implications today.