Franz Stein (b. 1989 in Bayreuth, Germany) studied from 2018 to 2025 at the Academy of Fine Arts Munich in the class of Gregor Hildebrandt, becoming his master student in 2023. Supported by an Erasmus+ scholarship, he spent the academic year 2023–2024 at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna in the class of Daniel Richter.

Stein’s paintings are developed through a process of layering numerous thin coats of acrylic paint on canvas. Overlapping lines, strokes, dots, and fields—applied with oil pastel, charcoal, and spray paint—form the visual structure of his works. His compositions are characterized by fluid, gestural brushwork in bold, vivid colors of varying density and intensity. Upon closer inspection, hidden layers and subtle color shifts emerge through the white-painted base, revealing a depth that invites contemplation.

At the heart of Franz Stein‘s practice is the pursuit of maximum intensity through an apparent minimum of means. Through reduction of color and form, something new and unexpected arises—something seemingly familiar, yet ultimately unfamiliar. His works balance deliberate composition, intuitive impulse, and spontaneous freedom, unfolding a visual rhythm that evokes a nearly magical harmony.

In addition to the two-dimensional plane of his paintings, Stein explores spatial depth through his work with carpets, which form an independent artistic position within his oeuvre. Hand-tufted from pure wool, these works play with varying pile heights, yarn textures, and densities, creating a tactile, sensory experience. They invite viewers to physically enter and interact with an expanded painterly space. The pictorial worlds of the canvas are thus transformed into immersive, walkable environments, opening up a limitless visual field.

Franz Stein‘s work has been exhibited in renowned institutions and venues including Haus der Kunst, Munich; Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich; Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, and Artist Space, New York. Further exhibitions took place in Hamburg and Vienna. His works have been acquired by the Korff Foundation Ilmmünster and the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung Munich.

FRANZ STEIN

SELECTED WORKS

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