'Woman with Tattoos' by Peter Robert Keil (1985)

'Woman with Tattoos', oil on board, by Peter Robert Keil (1985). A topless, blonde woman shows off her tattoos to the viewer, unbothered by the concept of propriety. She would feel right at home in 2021 given the exuberant popularity of tattoos amongst young people today. Hers, however, have a graffiti quality to them as the artist has depicted. There is a small metallic triangular piece inserted into the paint near the subject's left eye. Perhaps this represents a piercing of a sort. Very original. Keil uses intense-to-lurid colours which have become characteristic of his painting style. The only constraints here are the boundaries of the painted surface. The work is in good overall condition and has been newly framed in a tray. The artist signed the work in the lower left. The date appears to be '85. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request, a video may be provided.

About the Artist: Peter Robert Keil (born 1942) was the son of an artist blacksmith whom he lost early in his childhood. His mother, also artistically inclined, took her son and struggled her way to West Berlin where they settled. This is where Peter Robert Keil discovered his interest in painting – particularly in expressionist artists and in Picasso's work in particular.  From 1954 on, the East Berlin-based painter, Otto Nagel became his mentor and taught him first craft skills and painting techniques. In 1954, he began his traineeship as an artist metalworker and between 1959 and 1961, he studied at the University of Fine Art in Berlin. During his time in Mallorca, he met with Joan Miró in his studio several times. From the early 60s on, Keil established studios in Paris, London, Berlin and in the US. Today he mainly lives and works in Zimmerau (Bavaria, Germany), Berlin and the United States.

In the beginnings of his artistic career, Keil's style was influenced by German expressionism. In the works from his early Berlin years, he mainly focused on typical big city settings and characters on the fringes of society. However, his style changed visibly at the beginning of the 60s when he lived in Paris for a while and emerged in the city's nightlife. Keil increasingly parted with his realistic approach and developed a new, much more spontaneous and dynamic painting style which he developed further during his years in London and finally during his time as one of the "Berliner Neue Wilden" (Berlin Fauvists) at the beginning of the 80s. Since then, the use of intensive to lurid colours and the absence of realistic representation have become characteristic of his painting style. His emotional way of painting is mainly driven by a desire for freedom from social constraints and conventions. In the past 50 years, he has created numerous large and small scale paintings in oil and mixed media on canvas but also some sculptures in wood and steel and a great number of majolicas.

Dimensions with Frame:

H 122 cm / 48"

W 57.5 cm / 22.6"

Dimensions without Frame:

H 120 cm / 47.2"

W 55.5 cm / 21.9"