K.P. Brehmer

Besides the graphics, panel paintings and drawings Brehmer produced films (such as "walking" 16 mm, 20 min., B / w, sound, Kleistfilm, 16 mm, 9 min., Color, sound, several documentaries on performances by J. Beuys, Moorman C., A. Kaprow, A. Koepcke, P. Polke and others) and compositions based on graphical templates (Seele und Gefühl eines Arbeiters, 1978; Composition No. 3 (In Form eines Spitzkleeblattes), 1983, etc.)

With his work since the mid-60s Brehmer was, along with Konrad Lueg, Sigmar Polke, Gerhard Richter and Wolf Vostell, an important representative of the capitalist realism style. Today, the capitalist realism works are often attributed to the European Pop Art, with a particular political remark. At the same time Brehmer tried to democratize the art and to infiltrate the structures of the commercial exploitation of art with incorrectly declared unlimited editions, proofs or special editions. In the'70s, a new group of works - the so-called "diagrammatic work" in which colors, maps and statistics have been processed had been created. The political character came out even stronger. Brehmer dealt with the interpretation and significance of color as a symbol (Farbengeografien, Ideale Landschaft, Farbmuster) and created oversized charts and maps to Fascism (Hitler's Rede, 1973), the communist threat (Lokalisierung von Rotwerten, 1972), environmental damage ( Skyline, 1972) and war (Lokalisierung Rot/Rosa, 1972 My Lai).

The best-known work of this group is a rigged German Flag (Korrektur der Nationalfarben, 1972), wherein the three colours black - red - gold valued in different sizes are defined by the distribution of wealth in West Germany. This flag was hoisted in front of the documenta 5. From the late'70s Brehmer - in addition to the continued production of graphics and drawings - he began to paint. The motives are collected from scientific journals thermography, sonogram, etc..

In 1971 he became professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg and in 1987 and 1988, he was a guest lecturer at the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.

Beginning in 1961, he started using photographic films, radiograms, and block prints, and further studied graphics at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he worked until 1963 with Coester.

Influenced by the emerging new definitions of art and direction as the pop art around 1960, but also by the political rebellion of the younger generation of the 60s, Brehmer defined a new form of language, which, in opposition to abstract art of the 50s, served realistic motifs. Thus arose around 1963 so-called trivial graphics, as the cliché pressure (a high-technology, also known as "Rasterätzung" or Autotypie) were exported. Brehmer used "everyday" motifs from advertising and the mass media, like naked women, cars or spacemen. he finally overcome with the construction of boxes and the limited dimensionality of printmaking. In the mid-60s he took advantage of a new motif: the stamp, which can be defined as authoritative body with cultural definition of power. Sometimes he combined these individual graphics to album pages or stamp-bags.

Klaus Peter Brehmer (12 September 1938 in Berlin, Germany – 16 December 1997 in Hamburg, Germany), was a German painter, graphic artist and filmmaker. From 1971 to 1997 he was professor at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg.

Brehmer was born 1938 in Berlin After school he graduated from 1957 to 1959 as a process engraver and as early as 1959 he first made etchings. The training was followed from 1959 to 1961 by the study of graphics at the Werkkunstschule Krefeld, now in the class of, a disciple of .