Rainer Fetting

Studio of the artist

Galerie Thomas, Munich

Acquired in 2024 by the present owner

Exh. Cat., Linz, Lentos Kunstmuseum; Budapest, Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary, Der Nackte Mann, 2013, p. 98, illustrated in colour

Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe, Sammlung Thomas. Kunst aus den achtziger Jahren, 1989, p. 123, illustrated in colour

Kunsthalle Tübingen, Rainer Fetting - Manscapes, 2010, no. 10, p. 25, illustrated in colour

• Major large-scale work from Fetting’s pivotal New York period, reflecting his peak creative momentum in the early 1980s
• Striking, high-contrast palette and bold figuration embody the expressive power of the Junge Wilde movement
• Culturally resonant subject, combining queer visibility and urban energy, key themes driving institutional and market interest today

A central figure of the Junge Wilde movement, Rainer Fetting rose to prominence in the late 1970s and early 1980s with a bold, expressive style that challenged the dominant conceptual tendencies of the period. N. Y. Painter was executed in 1983 during a formative phase when Fetting was living and working in New York. The painting reflects the charged atmosphere of the city, whose raw urban energy had a lasting impact on his approach to figuration.

The work’s large format and gestural application of paint are characteristic of Fetting’s practice at this time. A centrally positioned male figure, shown frontally and in isolation, continues the artist’s investigation into themes of identity, representation, and the role of the painter. The use of high-contrast colour, including saturated yellows and intense green generates a dynamic visual rhythm across the surface. Colour in this context not only defines the compositional structure but also contributes to an atmosphere of heightened visual and psychological intensity.

Although rooted in the expressive tradition of postwar German painting, N. Y. Painter also reveals the influence of the contemporary New York art scene, particularly the renewed interest in figuration and the visibility of queer identity in visual culture. The direct gaze and assertive stance of the figure create a confrontational presence, giving the work a performative quality that reflects the artist’s transatlantic engagement during this period.