Albert Oehlen is a leading figure in contemporary painting, widely recognized for his radical and experimental approach to abstraction and image-making. Since the 1980s, Oehlen has consistently challenged traditional ideas of composition, authorship, and aesthetic refinement, embracing deliberate imperfection through bold brushwork, smears, and gestural marks. His artworks operate in a productive tension between abstraction and figuration, often appearing chaotic while being rigorously constructed.
A defining aspect of Oehlen’s practice is his playful yet systematic combination of divergent techniques, including collage, digital imagery, and computer-generated elements alongside traditional painting and printmaking. This hybrid approach extends to his prints and limited edition works, where analog and digital processes intersect to question the boundaries of painting, reproduction, and visual hierarchy. Oehlen’s artworks are held in major international museum collections, and his work has been exhibited widely at institutions such as the Serpentine Gallery, Palazzo Grassi, the Guggenheim Bilbao, and Kunsthalle Zürich, underscoring his lasting influence on contemporary art and works on paper.
