The 2026 figurative year — newest work first

2026 Figurative Works — Acrylic and Oil Stick

40 large-format figurative paintings from a single year, all made in the same two materials: acrylic for the colour, oil stick for the drawing. The line is always laid over the paint, never into it — that separation is what holds the year together.

The subjects are ordinary contemporary moments given the scale European painting once reserved for saints and sovereigns — and, increasingly through the year, inherited picture types re-staged with the convention that gave them their authority quietly removed.

The Year at a Glance
Year
2026 — published between March and September
Works
40 figurative paintings
Medium
Acrylic with a drawn layer in oil stick — in Blitz Liebe and The Last Song, oil pastel applied the same way
Method
Two: a rolled flat ground drawn over with oil stick, and from June a coarse brushstroke ground with the oil-stick drawing added afterwards — the drawn line always on top
Formats
60 × 130 cm to 200 × 450 cm (height × width)
Made By
Hand-painted originals by a human artist — not AI-generated, not digitally produced
Acquisition
Directly from the studio and through non-exclusive partner galleries
Last updated
19 October 2026

The line always sits on top

In the abstract paintings, Claus Bertermann builds a surface over months and then cuts it back with a palette knife: what survives is chosen from what came before. The figurative works invert that economy. Colour goes down first and stays down; the oil stick then carries the drawn layer over it — a contour, a hand in one white line, a scribbled lattice. Two ways of laying that colour run through 2026. In the earlier canvases it is rolled on flat and poster-like, so the figure floats slightly free of its ground. From June the ground is laid in first with coarse, broad brushstrokes, and the oil-stick drawing follows on top of it: freedom below, precision above. Either way the image is built forward and never scraped back.

The type is kept, the authority is removed

Each painting takes a picture type European painting has used for centuries and removes the one thing that made it work. The state portrait keeps its crown and loses its coat of arms, its date and its throne room — and loses its vertical format with them. The reclining figure keeps the chaise and the colour apparatus, and the room stops belonging to the painter. The café table keeps the solitary figure and turns waiting into thinking. What is left is the type, still legible, with nothing left to verify it.

An architect's scale

Bertermann trained as an architect at TU Munich before painting full-time, and the formats follow from that: canvases sized to a wall rather than to a hand. At two metres wide a reclining body has to carry the eye across the full width without a vertical to lean on — a compositional problem that only exists at this scale, and one the series returns to repeatedly.

The Works — newest first
  1. Orbit (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a man in a dark blue suit holds a woman in a deep dance dip, her lilac and white hair streaming into a starry night sky, above a blazing field of orange, yellow and red traced with pink, green and white lines, a glowing orange sun on the left. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Orbit (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Available

    A couple in a deep dance dip under the stars — for one turn of the dance, their own solar system.

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  2. Pianissimo (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a frontal portrait of a woman with short dark hair, her face in deep blue and mint green, red lips and a steady gaze, wearing large orange flower earrings, an orange collar and a jacket embroidered with blossoms, sweeping blue and ochre strokes on the left and a green ground on the right with the handwritten words "En un mundo que grita, la calma es corona". 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Pianissimo (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Available

    A portrait of quiet strength — in a world that shouts, calm is a crown, and she already wears it.

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  3. As de Oros (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a young woman in a red dress with orange and yellow sleeves and a wreath of green, yellow and orange in her hair sits with her hand at her cheek in a sunlit landscape of green hills and a deep blue mountain, between trees with round golden fruits, a band of red and yellow flowing to the lower right. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    As de Oros (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Available

    The woman from the Spanish ace of coins steps out of the gold — and the gold follows her into the trees.

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  4. Stranded on Track (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a 1960s racing driver in a leather helmet with goggles pushed up, a green face and orange gloves, sits on the sill of a low black racing car with a pale blue and a pink wheel, in front of a band of green grass and a dark sky, his gaze determined. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Stranded on Track (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Reserved

    A stranded driver who has had a whole race to study the track — and is already planning the next one.

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  5. Pit Stop (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a mechanic in deep blue overalls leans over a blue and turquoise 1960s racing car, one hand at his temple, the other braced on the wing, beside a large orange-red wheel with a bright green hub and a second orange car behind, under a light sky. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Pit Stop (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Available

    A mechanic in the pose of Rodin's Thinker — only this thinker has no time to sit down.

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  6. Parc Fermé (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a 1960s racing driver with orange hair and a green and blue face stands relaxed in front of a low turquoise racing car, helmet in one hand, the other hand in the pocket of his orange trousers, in a blue jacket with orange pockets, against a dark sky and blocks of orange and red. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Parc Fermé (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Sold

    The race is over, the car is locked in parc fermé — and the driver walks out with the real secret of the race in his hand.

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  7. Eau Rouge (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a 1960s racing driver in a dark blue helmet with the number 8 and a cloth face mask, his gaze calm and focused, beside a large steering wheel with yellow spokes, the red-brown curve of Eau Rouge rising above him against turquoise and pale blue, a second number 8 on a white roundel at the lower left. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Eau Rouge (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Reserved

    Car number 8 flat out into Eau Rouge — the most famous corner in racing, painted as the red water it is named after.

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  8. Windspiel (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a dark-haired woman with blue eyes in a wide vermilion coat sits in a lime-green armchair with looping blue arms, a slender greyhound with an orange head and blue ears sitting in front of her, against a bright yellow streaked background with pink and red ribbons at the upper right. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Windspiel (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Sold

    The title promises a greyhound, the eye finds a woman in a red coat — the dog appears only on the second or third look.

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  9. Trace (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a young woman with a pale blue face and lowered eyes drawn in dark blue oil stick, dark hair gathered up with yellow and red flowers, wearing an orange, ochre and yellow robe, her pale blue hand hovering above translucent grey-white chess pieces on a dark green board beside a blue chess clock with two white dials, on a mint-green table against a deep navy background. 200 × 150 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Trace (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 150 cm · Sold

    A chess game that is really a vanitas — a clock, flowers and pieces made of glass, and a hand that has not yet touched.

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  10. No Halo (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a fair-haired racing driver in a turquoise open-necked shirt with green eyes and a green-drawn hand sits beside a low blue and vermilion 1960s racing car with a spoked wheel, round headlight and a white roundel bearing the number 8, beneath an ochre glow in a black night sky. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    No Halo (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Sold

    A 1960s racing driver beside car number 8 — and the only halo in the picture belongs to the car.

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  11. Gambit (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a young man with a turquoise and pale yellow face drawn in cobalt oil stick, cheek resting on a red-orange hand, looking directly at the viewer from behind an orange table, with a pale green and two dark chess pieces standing large along the lower edge against a near-black and deep blue background. 200 × 150 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Gambit (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 150 cm · Sold

    A chess player who has stopped looking at the board and started looking at you.

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  12. Nocturne (2026) by Claus Bertermann — two people asleep side by side, their yellow faces with closed eyes drawn in blue oil stick resting together on a blue pillow, long red hair falling across an orange and vermilion blanket beneath a violet-blue iron bed frame with scrolled ends, against magenta, green and cobalt walls and a lilac floor. 150 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Nocturne (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 200 cm · Sold

    Two sleepers, and the tenderness neither of them will ever see.

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  13. Common Ground (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a young couple seated close together under a blue fruit tree, their pale green faces drawn in cobalt oil stick against yellow light, more than fifteen orange fruits scribbled across the branches above them and their bodies merging into a single field of orange, green and black below the shoulders. 200 × 240 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Common Ground (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 240 cm · Sold

    A couple under a fruit tree, and nobody is reaching for it.

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  14. So Be It (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a king seated frontally in a lilac and violet mantle with violet ermine cuffs, wearing a heavy cadmium-yellow crown, his hands open on the arms of his seat, against a wall of brushed green with two pale attendant figures at the edges. 60 × 130 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    So Be It (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 60 x 130 cm · Available

    A king with the identifying evidence removed — the state portrait, laid on its side.

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  15. Stillness (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a woman with blue hair reclining awake on a vermilion chaise longue, a large green mass across her legs with one hand drawn on it in white line, pale cushions at the right and a burning yellow field at the edge. 130 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Stillness (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 200 cm · Sold

    The reclining figure, and the room finally belongs to her.

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  16. Le Café (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a young man with red-brown curls seated at an orange café table, chin propped on the back of his hand, wearing a deep blue jacket, with a white cup, bowl and jug in front of him and a café interior in teal, magenta and gold behind. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Le Café (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    The café table: from waiting to thinking, the composition reversed.

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  17. Roma 2 (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a blonde rider in a vermilion jacket on a white scooter at night in Rome, four white headlamp beams cutting left across a deep cobalt ground, a scaffolded façade drawn in red oil stick behind her and a cadmium field of lamplight at the right. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Roma 2 (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    She rides into her own light.

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  18. Roma 1 (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a woman riding an orange scooter head-on through a Roman street by day, her pale face turned out of the picture, dark green jacket over a vermilion top, façades streaked into speed on the left and a cobalt field behind her head. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Roma 1 (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    Three seconds of a Roman morning.

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  19. Madonnina (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a seated Madonna figure shown frontally, a vermilion mantle opening across the full width of the canvas over a green flowered dress, her hands folded at the centre, a rainbow-banded halo-brim above her head and two dark arched niche forms behind. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Madonnina (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    The little Madonna, painted at full scale.

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  20. Affinity (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a woman with a lemon-yellow face in a dark blue robe seated on a flame-orange sofa, a yellow dog outlined in violet oil stick sitting in front of her, two small chess pieces on the dark table between them. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Affinity (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    Two people, one gesture — the hand is hers, the attention is his.

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  21. La Sentinelle (2026) by Claus Bertermann — seated woman with a two-toned cream and turquoise face, flame-orange jacket and gold oil-stick jewellery, before a loosely brushed landscape of green hills, blue mountains and a blossoming tree. 210 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    La Sentinelle (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 210 x 160 cm · Sold

    The guardian figure, turned around: she watches the viewer.

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  22. The Facilitator (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a monumental green-faced man in a flame-orange jacket seated in a flowering meadow landscape, bent over the laces of his striped sneakers, drawn in black oil stick over acrylic in emerald green, ultramarine and chrome yellow. 160 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    The Facilitator (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 160 x 160 cm · Sold

    The one unscheduled pause of the man who keeps everything running for everyone else.

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  23. Sidekick Two (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a standing figure in a scarlet and black coat with a yellow face and one open, empty hand outlined in green oil stick, beside a cream-and-black dog with long ears sitting upright, both facing the viewer against a thicket of pink, cobalt and sap-green strokes. 160 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Sidekick Two (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 160 x 160 cm · Sold

    The second chapter: no lead, nothing connecting the two bodies, and the dog no longer looking up.

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  24. Sidekick (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a man in a red shirt seated on a motionless skateboard looking out of the frame while his black-and-white dog gazes up at him on a yellow oil-stick lead, drawn in violet and green oil stick over chrome-yellow acrylic. 160 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Sidekick (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 160 x 160 cm · Sold

    Two gazes in opposite directions — and the question of who is really the companion.

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  25. Cosplay Royale (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a woman in medieval court dress with a wide white ruff and enormous orange puffed sleeves resting her chalk-white face on her hand, drawn in violet and white oil stick over flame-orange acrylic against black. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Cosplay Royale (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    The moment the costume is perfect and the person inside it has stopped performing.

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  26. Rien ne va Plus (2026) by Claus Bertermann — five hatted players around a roulette table at the croupier's last call, one flinging his final chips while a neighbour grabs his arm, with trays of two Bitcoins and a fish, drawn in white oil stick over acid-bright acrylic. 160 × 310 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Rien ne va Plus (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 160 x 310 cm · Sold

    The last suspended second at the roulette table, with the ball already running.

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  27. Till Disconnect Do Us Part (2026) by Claus Bertermann — a bride in a white dress with an oil-stick veil walking hand in hand with a black humanoid robot through a park of brushed greens. 210 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Till Disconnect Do Us Part (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 210 x 160 cm · Sold

    Holding hands with the machine.

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  28. Liliums XXL (2026) by Claus Bertermann — several large orange and yellow lilies outlined in white and pink oil stick across a wide canvas, over roller-applied acrylic in green and blue, with orange bud-clusters on dark stems and a near-black undergrowth below. 150 × 240 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    LILIUMS XXL (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 240 cm · Sold

    A flower riot, two metres wide.

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  29. Liliums XL (2026) by Claus Bertermann — large stylized orange and yellow lilies outlined in white and pink oil stick over roller-applied acrylic in green, blue and lavender, with dark drawn stems and drips. 150 × 150 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    LILIUMS XL (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 150 cm · Sold

    It was never about the lilies.

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  30. Le 55 (2026) by Claus Bertermann — two stylized figures against luminous green, the foreground face in saturated blues and oranges framed by a crown of swirling curls, hands clasped, a second translucent figure in yellow and a cocktail glass at lower right, oil stick over roller-applied acrylic. 130 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    Le 55 (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    Seen by everyone, seen by no one.

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  31. Daydreaming (2026) by Claus Bertermann — figure with closed eyes resting on folded arms, an oversized magenta hand with yellow fingertips in the foreground, drawn in oil stick over roller-applied acrylic striped in blue and green. 200 × 200 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    DAYDREAMING (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 200 cm · Sold

    Eyes closed, somewhere else.

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  32. Blitz Liebe (2026) by Claus Bertermann — two figures cheek to cheek with wide orange-rimmed eyes and a line-drawn butterfly, oil pastel in electric pinks, yellows and blues over roller-applied acid-green acrylic. 160 × 160 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    BLITZ LIEBE (2026)

    Acrylic and oil pastel on canvas · 160 x 160 cm · Sold

    The instant the bolt lands — four eyes thrown wide open.

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  33. Elsewhere (2026) by Claus Bertermann — seated figure in black with lowered gaze, drawn in silver-grey oil stick over roller-applied acrylic in mint green, teal and ivory. 200 × 180 cm. Hand-painted, no AI.

    ELSEWHERE (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 180 cm · Sold

    Present in body, absent in attention.

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  34. Cervantes portrait painting — Miguel de Cervantes by Claus Bertermann, oil on canvas

    CERVANTES (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 110 cm · Sold

    The author of Don Quixote, asked whether he would recognise himself in contemporary brushstrokes.

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  35. A French bulldog sitting on a throne and a subordinate gazing at him in awe

    FLOWER SHOWER (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    A whimsical power dynamic, with blossoms swirling around it like a coloured storm.

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  36. Claus Bertermann - The Last Song, contemporary figurative painting, Acrylic, oil pastel and pencil on canvas, 200x450 cm (78.7 × 177.2 inches), 2026

    The Last Song (2026)

    Acrylic, oil pastel and pencil on canvas · 200 x 450 cm · Available

    A contemporary reinterpretation of the Last Supper, four and a half metres wide.

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  37. Claus Bertermann - Almost, contemporary figurative painting, Acrylic and oil crayon on canvas, 180x200 cm (70.9 × 78.7 inches), 2026

    Almost (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 180 x 200 cm · Sold

    Almost fully present, almost resolved — the threshold made structural.

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  38. Claus Bertermann - Elisabeth in Cinquecento, contemporary figurative painting, Acrylic and oil crayon on canvas, 130x180 cm (51 × 70.9.2 inches), 2026

    Elisabeth in Cinquecento (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 130 x 180 cm · Sold

    A collision of centuries: Renaissance modelling set against a flat, drawn field.

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  39. Claus Bertermann - Nice Try, contemporary figurative painting, Acrylic and oil crayon on canvas, 150x130 cm (59 × 51.2.1 inches), 2026

    Nice Try (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 150 x 130 cm · Sold

    When winning is already over.

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  40. Claus Bertermann - Virgen Extra, contemporary figurative painting, Acrylic and oil crayon on canvas, 200x150 cm (78.7 × 59.1 inches), 2026

    Virgen Extra (2026)

    Acrylic and oil stick on canvas · 200 x 150 cm · Sold

    Two systems of value collide in one title — the contamination is the content.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What are Claus Bertermann's 2026 figurative works?

They are the large-format figurative paintings Claus Bertermann made and published in 2026 from his studio in Oviedo, Spain — 40 canvases, all in acrylic and oil stick on canvas. The acrylic carries the colour and the oil stick carries the drawing, always laid over the paint rather than worked into it. The subjects are ordinary contemporary moments painted at a scale European painting once reserved for saints and sovereigns and, from mid-year onwards, inherited picture types — the reclining figure, the state portrait, the Madonna — re-staged with the convention that gave them their authority removed.

What are the two working methods in the 2026 figurative paintings?

The earlier works separate the layers strictly: a flat, poster-like ground is rolled onto the canvas, and the figure is then drawn over that field in oil stick, so it appears to float slightly free of its background. From June 2026 onwards a second method runs alongside it — the ground is laid in first with coarse, broad brushstrokes that keep the movement of the arm visible and settle nothing precisely, and only afterwards the oil-stick drawing is set on top of it. The first method builds a deliberate flatness; the second keeps the ground loose and lets the drawn line carry the precision.

How do the figurative works differ from Claus Bertermann's abstract painting?

The abstract paintings are built by accumulation and selective destruction: oil applied in layers over months, then cut back with a palette knife to expose what lies beneath, so the finished surface is a record of its own earlier states. The figurative works go the other way — the image is built forward and the drawn line is added last. Nothing is recovered from underneath, because nothing was buried.

How many 2026 figurative works are there, and are they available?

This page lists 40 paintings from 2026, newest first. Availability differs per work and is shown on each work's page; several are already in private collections. Works are sold directly from the studio in Oviedo, Spain and through non-exclusive partner galleries.

Are the works hand-painted or AI-generated?

Every work is a hand-painted original on canvas — acrylic and oil stick, made by a human artist, not AI-generated and not digitally produced. Each canvas is signed on the front and on the back and exists once.

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