Karin Kneffel (b. 1957)

The Hallucination of Clarity.
As Gerhard Richter’s master student, Karin Kneffel learned that painting is not about copying reality, but questioning it. While Richter blurred the image, Kneffel sharpened it until it became uncanny.

This Portrait (1992) is deceptive. At first glance, it is a goat. But look closer. The hyper-realistic rendering creates a strange, glowing tension. The animal looks back with a terrifying, almost human awareness. Packed into a tiny 20x20 cm format, Kneffel condenses technical virtuosity into a psychological stare-down.

Why it matters: Kneffel is one of Germany's most important contemporary painters. Her large-scale works sell for significant sums. This intimate piece offers a rare opportunity to own her "magic realism" at an accessible level. It is a jewel of unease.