Sophie Von Hellermann

Courtesy of the artist and Greene Naftali, NY

Sophie von Hellermann’s paintings (Germany, b. 1975) recall fables, legends, and traditional stories imbued with the workings of her subconscious. Her romantic, pastel-washed canvases often suggest complex narrative threads. The artist draws upon current affairs as often and as fluidly as she borrows from the imagery of classical mythology and literature to create expansive imaginary places. In subject matter and style, von Hellermann tests imagination against reality.

The Card Players riffs on painter Paul Cézanne’s series of 1890s works featuring Provençal farmers immersed in card games. The motif is one that artists have reworked throughout history; Cézanne himself was inspired by imagery he found in 17th-century Dutch paintings. Here, von Hellermann updates the theme, showing a group of people enjoying the game with moments of conviviality and tenderness.

Works by von Hellermann are held in the collections of Cranford Collection, London; Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Canada; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase, New York; Orange County Museum of Art, Newport Beach; Rachofsky Collection, Dallas; and Saatchi Collection, London.