Norbert Tadeusz (1940-2011) ranks among Germany’s leading figurative painters of the late 20th century. A native of Dortmund, he studied at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf under Joseph Beuys and distinguished himself early on as a unique painter whose figurative style greatly contrasted with the conceptual, minimalist, or more abstract works of his fellow students such as Imi Knoebel, Blinky Palermo, Reiner Ruthenbeck, or Katharina Sieverding.

Ignoring all contemporary trends, for instance Pop Art, Fluxus, Zero, Minimal, and Concept Art, Tadeusz consistently explored traditional subjects and genres, including still lifes, landscapes, and interiors. In his sometimes radical images, Tadeusz aimed to develop unconventional modes for the depiction of traditional motifs, experimenting with color, form, and space. Certain topics he has continually reexamined over the years. Above all, the investigation of bodies—the living, human nude and the dead, animal carcass—presents a central theme that runs through his oeuvre.

Much of his work revolves around the female body, as the epitome of both life and its source. Allowing for a great variety of poses and disparate settings, it is one of the artist’s most important motifs.

This catalog is published to accompany the current exhibition tour, which itself was designed in close collaboration with the estate of the artist.