Justine Otto

Justine Otto was born in Poland in 1974 and studied at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 1996 to 2003 under Professors Angermann and Krebber. She became a master-class student in free painting. A scholarship abroad enabled her to study at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan.

The central theme of her works is adolescents and their emotional world. The actions of her principally female protagonists are usually enigmatic. Even facial expressions and gestures do not provide any information about the scene depicted. Instead, they reinforce the uncertainty of the viewer. Basically, her works refuse to be easily interpreted. The vagueness that opens up space for interpretation is what makes her paintings so appealing.

Otto has already been awarded numerous prizes and honours for her young oeuvre. Her works are part of private and public collections, including the Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.