Throughout her illustrious artistic career, Bettina Mauel has been unwavering in her pursuit of a singular and inexhaustible theme: the portrayal of the transitory movements within our constantly evolving world. Her work delves into the intricate relationship between perception and impermanence. Born in 1959, Bettina Mauel is a German artist who had the privilege of studying under the guidance of Gerhard Richter, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, during her time at the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
In 1984, Mauel was commissioned by the city of Wuppertal to paint scenes of the dance theater of Pina Bausch, an experience that had a profound influence on the selection of themes in her art. Rather than focusing on spectacular poses, she pays careful attention to the spontaneous movements in-between, capturing a resonating rush of color and form. Her impromptu paintings combine a long tradition of Eastern scroll painting, expressionist sketching, and fashion illustration.
With a career marked by significant milestones, Bettina has achieved early recognition on an international scale. In 1985, her work was acquired by the renowned Deutsche Bank Collection in Germany, followed by a prestigious acquisition by the Rheinisches Landesmuseum in Bonn, Germany, in 1987. After numerous prestigious private and public acquisitions, her fame was revalidated in 2011, as she achieved a notable prize at the Florence Biennale. These public acquisitions and accolades underscore the enduring allure and impact of her art, captivating audiences and art enthusiasts worldwide.
Mauel expresses dynamism and sensuality in her paintings. “I paint what I experience,” she articulates. “This includes landscapes, flowers, and people in motion, capturing them at a particular moment in time.” Whether the subject be dancers, cityscapes, landscapes, or pure expressionistic brushstrokes, Mauel has exemplified herself as an expert in the acute perception of ephemeral moments.
Mauel is primarily interested in movement sequences in nature, but also in stylized patterns in a wide variety of dynamic processes. Her sensitivity to movement goes so far that she even includes the viewer's eye movement in her pictorial conception. In her brightly colored artworks, the act of painting remains clearly visible.
Mauel's brightly colored artworks reveal the act of painting itself, and she has received numerous prestigious art prizes for her work. Her art has been featured in exhibitions throughout Europe, North America, and Asia and has been acquired by a long list of notable public institutions.
