Karin Kneffel
The high artistic quality that Karin Kneffel (born in 1957 in Marl, Germany,) displays in her works on canvas is equally evident in her graphic work. Through a truly unique creative power that seemingly effortlessly combines artistic ambition with an exceptionally appealing aesthetic, Karin Kneffel has risen to become one of the most important female artists in contemporary art. Part of the fascination of these works lies in appreciating the painter's technical ability.
For her technically sophisticated works, Karin Kneffel draws on photographs she has taken herself, several of which she uses simultaneously as compositional references. This creates perspectives of which the painter herself says: "You have to look a little longer to realise that nothing is right [...]. You cannot really locate yourself within them." She seemingly effortlessly combines artistic ambition with an exceptionally appealing aesthetic that oscillates between photorealism and blurring.
After studying German language and literature and philosophy from 1981 to 1987, Karin Kneffel studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Johannes Brus, Norbert Tadeusz and Gerhard Richter. In 1984/85, she received a scholarship at the Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; in 1991 the Karl Schmidt Rottluff-Stipendium; in 1995/96 Villa Massimo, Rome. In 1995, she took on a teaching position at the Sommerakademie Augsburg, in 1998 a visiting professorship at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen and in 2000 at the Island Academy of the Arts, Reykjavik. From 2000-2008, she was Professor of Painting at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen.
Since 2008, Karin Kneffel has been Professor of Painting and Graphic Art at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste München. She lives and works in Düsseldorf.
