Leif Kauz-Zeller

Three Graces,

2021

Oil on canvas

200 x 145 cm

Das muss aufhören,

2022

Oil on cardboard

24 x 30 cm

Leif Kauz-Zeller’s painterly vocation is reminiscent of 16th-century German masters such as Dürer or Holbein, yet, in his works we detect allusions to everyday contemporary life, culture, trends, and paradigms. The respective pieces Three Graces and Das muss aufhören, made by appropriating the northern styles of old, and with subtly ironic titles, evoke serene, orderly interiors.

Even the figures Leif juxtaposes in them seem calm, somewhat distant in thought, but lush with hairstyles, accessories, and clothing found in today’s fast-paced world. If we were to examine his oeuvre hermeneutically, we would inevitably find a collection of hidden commentaries or contemplations on our contemporary society.

Leif Kauz-Zeller was born 1990 in Waldkirch im Breisgau, Germany. From 2019-2021 studied in the Weissenhof Fine Arts Program, Stuttgart. From 2011-2019 studied artistic teaching at the State Academy of Fine Arts Stuttgart. Studied philosophy until 2020 and history until 2022 for high school teaching degree at the University of Stuttgart. Lives and works in Stuttgart.