Heinz Rabbow

Heinz Rabbow was born in Berlin in 1940. Despite a keen sense of aesthetics and a keen eye for the human condition, he came to painting late in life - and eventually made it his third profession.

After studying journalism in the 1960s, Rabbow worked as a journalist until 1972. He then studied history and education in Hamburg and began working as a primary school teacher in a socially deprived area of Berlin in 1974. He taught disadvantaged children there for two decades - many from immigrant families. This intensive educational work shaped his view of people: his later art is deeply rooted in empathy and humanity. Rabbow developed a pronounced sense of quiet dignity, emotional depth and the expressive power of the face - especially the eyes, which play a central role in his works: As mirrors of the soul, as silent narrators of truth, emotion and existence.

Parallel to his pedagogical work, Rabbow increasingly developed his artistic language. His early pictures show simple people - born of memory and dreams. The combination of an introspective view and precise craftsmanship led to a surprisingly successful career as an artist in the 1980s. In 1995, he finally gave up his secure teaching position to devote himself entirely to art.

Heinz Rabbow is a self-taught artist - but also a philosopher, pedagogue and keen observer of the human condition. His works radiate calm and delicacy, supported by technically precise execution. His painting technique is closely linked to the traditional ‘grisaille’ process: a monochrome glazing technique in fine layers, usually with egg tempera on wood. The elaborate build-up of up to twenty layers of colour - especially in the area of the skin and eyes - creates an inner luminosity that makes his figures appear both contemporary and timeless. They appear ghostly familiar, almost supernatural - with a gaze that both penetrates and embraces.

Rabbow's works have been exhibited internationally - including in Berlin, Amsterdam, New York, Montréal and Düsseldorf - and at major art fairs such as Art Basel, FIAC Paris, Art Cologne and TEFAF Maastricht, where he was the first living artist to be represented.