Gabriele Breuer
Born 1946 in Essen, Germany.
Education – Photo- and Advertising-Design in Berlin.
Since 1976 freelance work in painting, sculpture and ceramics.
1981 Relocation to Heideck (district of Roth), and foundation of the studio “Arts and Crafts”.
Since then, various solo- and group-exhibitions, commissioned works for public spaces,
sporadic occupation as lecturer for artistic design with plastic materials at the Adult Education
Center (VHS), as well as active engagement at several art associations.
Sculptural pieces are mostly created with clay or papier mâché. Paintings and assemblages
are made with watercolors, oils- or acrylic-paint, as well as emulsions and materials that provide
rich structures.
Her artwork usually progresses in phases, in which she often creates rapid series of pieces that
are thematically related and developed in the same technique. Her experiments with unusual
materials and different techniques are the inevitable consequence of her constant search for novel
ways of artistic expression.
Subject matter and style of her work are certainly informed by her experiences and life in Berlin,
whereas encounters with the work of local artists, such as Wolfgang Petrick and Johannes Grützke,
amongst others, played a part as well. The intense examination of Expressionism was an important
source of inspiration. There is a strong affinity to the work of Max Beckmann in particular.
“ My work focuses on the examination of elementary themes, the dark sides and drama of human
existence. I would like to understand the interconnections of the outer and inner conditions
of human beings, their states of mind, their value within the comprehensive entity of past – present –
future. At times, I use realistic forms of expression, at others, abstracting or abstract pictorial language.
I also favor the use of symbolism and metaphor in order to explore the complexity of these issues.“