Albert Oehlen is a German artist renowned for his innovative and provocative approach to painting, which has positioned him as a pivotal figure in contemporary art. Born on September 17, 1954, in Krefeld, West Germany, Oehlen's journey into the art world began in earnest when he moved to Berlin in 1977. There, he worked various jobs, including as a waiter and decorator, while immersing himself in the vibrant creative scene of the city. His formal education in art took place at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg, where he graduated in 1978 and was notably a student of the influential artist Sigmar Polke. Oehlen's early career was marked by his association with the "bad boy" group of Berlin, which included fellow artists Martin Kippenberger and Georg Herold. This group was known for their rebellious stance against the art establishment and their critical engagement with the socio-political context of post-war Germany. During the 1980s, Oehlen became closely associated with the Cologne art scene and was a member of the Lord Jim Lodge, alongside Kippenberger and others. His work during this period was related to the Neue Wilde movement, which was characterized by a return to expressive, figurative painting as a reaction against the minimal and conceptual art that dominated the previous decades. Throughout his career, Oehlen has been described as a 'free radical' of painting, constantly questioning and challenging the medium's conventions and boundaries. His work is a testament to his belief in the process of painting itself, rather than the pursuit of a predefined aesthetic or narrative. In the 1980s, he began to integrate abstract and figurative elements, reacting against the prevailing Neo-Expressionist aesthetic and setting the stage for his later explorations. Oehlen's practice is marked by a series of self-imposed constraints that have led to distinct phases in his work. For instance, he limited his palette to gray tones for his "Grey" paintings and restricted himself to primary colors for another series that he referred to as "bad" paintings. This latter series included a controversial 1986 portrait of Adolf Hitler, which exemplified his interest in pushing the boundaries of taste and acceptability. In the late 1990s, Oehlen's approach evolved as he began to incorporate collaged imagery into his paintings, brushing and spraying paint over these elements to create complex, layered compositions. This period also saw the introduction of his "Self-Portraits" series, which included notable works such as Frühstück Now (Self-Portrait) (1984), Self-Portrait With Open Mouth (2001), and Self-Portrait as a Dutch Woman (1983). The advent of digital technology provided Oehlen with new tools and methods to further expand his artistic vocabulary. He embraced computer-aided design (CAD) to create flat, figurative cut-outs that he combined with gestural oil paint strokes in a collage-like manner. His "Finger Paintings" series, for example, featured color-blocked advertisements as extensions of the canvas, upon which he applied his visceral markings using various implements, including his hands. Oehlen's work is neither conventionally beautiful nor intentionally seductive; instead, it is a deliberate provocation, challenging viewers to confront the limitations and possibilities of visual language. His paintings often appear as if they are in a state of breakdown, reflecting his ironic stance on the failures of artistic representation and the breakdown of aesthetic norms. Throughout his career, Oehlen has also been deeply involved with music, running his own independent label, Leiterwagen, in the 1990s, and performing in bands such as Red Krayola and Van Oehlen. His engagement with music is frequently reflected in his visual art, with references appearing across his body of work. As an educator, Oehlen served as a professor of painting at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 2000 to 2009, influencing a new generation of artists with his unorthodox approach to the medium. His personal life is closely intertwined with his artistic practice; he is the brother of artist Markus Oehlen, and he lives with his wife, Esther Freund, and their three children in a village near Bühler, Switzerland. Oehlen's work has been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions at prestigious institutions worldwide, and his paintings are held in the collections of major museums, including the Tate, London; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt. Despite the controversy that sometimes surrounds his work, Oehlen's influence on contemporary painting remains undeniable, as he continues to challenge and redefine the parameters of the medium.

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