WOLS

WOLS, whose real name was Alfred Otto Wolfgang Schulze, was born in Berlin in 1913. The important German painter, graphic artist and photographer is considered one of the most important pioneers of Art Informel and a representative of Tachism. WOLS began his artistic career as a photographer in the 1930s. In 1932, he moved to Paris, where he immersed himself in the city's avant-garde scene and established contacts with renowned artists and intellectuals. When the Second World War began, WOLS was interned in France due to his German origins and lived in difficult circumstances. These experiences had a significant impact on his future artistic work. During and after the war, WOLS increasingly turned to painting and drawing. His works are characterised by a spontaneous, gestural style of painting, often with fine lines and a reduced colour palette. His works are regarded as precursors of abstract expressionism and had a great influence on many subsequent artists. He died on 1 September 1951 in Paris at the age of just 38. It was only after his death that his work was fully appreciated and WOLS was recognised as one of the pioneering artists of the post-war period.