$499
Peter Robert Keil (German, b. 1942) A Yunky Girl From Miami Signed and dated "P Keil 86" l.r., identified in an inscription in the artist's han d on the reverse. Acrylic on canvas, 48 x 20 in. (121.9 x 50.8 cm), unframed. Condition: Scattered retouch, craquelure, abrasions. N.B. Peter Robert Keil is one of the leading figures in the early German Neo-Expressionist movement. Keil moved to Germany as a young boy, following the death of his father. As a child he was intrigued by the work of Pablo Picasso, and his playful images and bright colors which offered an escape from the bleakness of daily life in post-war West Berlin. He began studying art with Otto Nager when he was fifteen years old, and went on to Berlin's Akademie für Bildende Künste. During the late 1950s, Keil befriended Joan Miró and often visited him at his studio in Mallorca. He adopted elements of Miró's painting into his work, in particular the rhythmic compositions, use of bright primary colors, and departure from realism. Keil later set up a studio in Paris, where he embraced the Bohemian lifestyle and created images that reflected the coarseness of everyday life; his models were often those he encountered at night on the Parisian streets; prostitutes, drunks, and thieves. Keil's theatrical figures are complemented by dynamic compositions in which he uses vibrant, often discordant, colors, harmonious forms, and vigorous lines.
Auctioneer:
Skinner
Date:
2007-09-07
