Petrick, Wolfgang

Wolfgang Petrick is a German artist and leader of the "critical realism" movement, along with Peter Sorge, Hans Jürgen Diehl, Siegfried Neuenhausen and others. After studying biology in parallel with art studies in Berlin, the artist taught at the academy that trained him, the "Hochschule der Künste". In 1993 he became a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin. He remained in his native city for a long time until he moved to New York, where he works part of the year. The artist has used many techniques to serve his critical purpose, from photography to installation, passing through all the pictorial and graphic specificities.
 

His graphic universe, inspired by surrealism, shows dolls reminiscent of Hans Bellmer's effigies, deformed bodies, in the manner of the expressionists, all this on worked backgrounds, mixing a wide range of colors. His early works present characters with rough and naive features in dark tones. Soon, Petrick found his own style and integrated color in whole tubes. In the 1970s, his work took on a satirical meaning, describing German society and recalling the ferocity of the New Objectivity painters.
 

In parallel to his pictorial work, the artist worked with plastic objects and prints. Wolfgang Petrick has practiced most of the traditional printing techniques, with a particular focus on engraving, silk-screening and lithography. He has also made monotypes, or single prints, and reworked some of his earlier prints. His graphic work was awarded a medal at the International Biennial of Graphic Arts in Florence in 1972. He then participated in the sixth documenta, in 1976. Today the artist regularly exhibits in Germany, in numerous solo exhibitions.