Cornelia Baltes, DE

Cornelia Baltes (b. 1978, Germany) is known for her vibrant paintings and installations that hover between abstraction and figuration.

Her works often feature fragments of the body—hands, feet, facial expressions—caught in moments of motion, hinting at a playful yet enigmatic narrative. With bold lines, fluid compositions, and a keen sense of color, Baltes creates dynamic images that feel both spontaneous and deliberate.

A hallmark of her practice is the interplay between lightness and intensity. While her compositions appear effortless, each brushstroke is intentional, contributing to an evolving visual language that invites personal interpretation. Her use of highly pigmented black paint alongside bright, saturated colors generates a striking contrast, adding both depth and rhythm to her works.

Baltes’ imagery resonates on a universal level, tapping into collective memories and emotions while remaining open-ended. Through her precise technique and intuitive approach, she constructs a world where humor, movement, and immediacy converge, drawing viewers into an ever-shifting space between the recognizable and the abstract.

She holds an MFA from the Slade School of Fine Art (2011) and has exhibited widely, with solo shows at Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (Sunderland) and group exhibitions at Kunsthalle Nürnberg, MOSTYN (Wales), Museum Folkwang (Essen), and Museum Kunstpalast Düsseldorf. In 2019, her work was included in a major survey of emerging German painting at Kunstmuseum Bonn, Museum Wiesbaden, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz – Museum Gunzenhauser, and Deichtorhallen Hamburg. Her practice extends into murals and permanent installations, including a large-scale commission for SOSU Silkeborg (Denmark).