The Leipzig School: A history of art
The term 'Leipzig School' referred to famous painters who lived in the eastern German city when communist East Germany still existed. After 1989, the next generation - the New Leipzig School - quickly shot to fame.
The birth of the 'new'
Neo Rauch, 55, is regarded as one of the most important contemporary German painters. His large-format works and graphics have a surreal feel, a trademark of the Leipzig-born artist's style.
Art from the East
Rauch's paintings conquered the art market in the 1990s. Gerd Harry Lybke (pictured here with Rauch), the Leipzig art dealer who signed Rauch and other artists after reunification, was an important mediator for the new movement. Lybke has a colorful history: his gallery was under observation by the East German secret Police: the much feared Stasi.
What's in a name
After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leipzig became a center for contemporary art once again. Neo Rauch was actually the movement's only native East German, while Tim Eitel, Rosa Loy and David Schnell (pictured) were West German. The name stuck, however, and New Leipzig School works became immensely popular.
Global images
Tim Eitel's figurative paintings hang in many private collections around the world. His connection with the New Leipzig School helped him to fame. Often based on newspaper clippings or photographs, his works comment on our society.
From artist to mentor
Arno Rink,75, studied at the Leipzig Academy for Visual Arts, and he also taught at the academy in the early 1970s. His early works are influenced by Picasso, Dix and Beckmann, and many echo mythical themes. Rink is the link between East Germany's Leipzig School and today's New Leipzig School.
Founding fathers
In terms of a specific genre, the Leipzig School didn't really exist. The name evolved when several painters from Leipzig - Bernhard Heisig (pictured), Wolfgang Mattheuer and Werner Tübke - were invited to the documenta 6 exhibition in 1977. These artists had increasingly moved away from State-sanctioned art and socialist realism from the 1960s.
Walls of perception
The trio was labeled the "artistic miracle" of the East. Werner Tübke - regarded as a Traditionalist and a critical realist - was famous in East Germany for numerous large scale wall paintings. His works disappeared after reunification.
Never to be silenced
Wolfgang Mattheuer used strong images from ancient mythology in his works, that often focused on the fears and desires harbored by his fellow East Germans. Like the other Leipzig painters, Mattheuer wouldn't be silenced by East German authorities. The artists also didn't want to belong to a "School," and refused the label Leipzig School.