
‘Boo!-tiful’–what is behind the unusual title? Well, it is cleverly chosen, as it unites two opposing poles—the frightening and the beautiful—and thus aptly describes the thematic focus of the series of works begun in 2020. The two-part title, which may sound like a dichotomy, indicates what is clearly reflected in the motifs.
The so-called ‘Boo!-ties’, as Stefan à Wengen–with a wink–refers to the one hundred paintings in his new series of works, show bizarre monster figures that mostly carry their female victims–the beauties–paralysed by the shock and fainting in their arms or actively frighten them with their creepy appearance. They are almost without exception scenes from so-called B-movies, which were made in Hollywood in the 1930s and today enjoy cult status.
Stefan à Wengen’s new works are monotypes on canvas created by the artist using a transfer technique he developed himself, which is based on decalcomania (a reproductive procedure). They are unique pieces which, due to the monotype process, show unavoidable scratches and signs of wear, making the works appear older and thus all the more authentic. The small format and the scenes set on a golden ground make them look like contemporary icons.
Since the 1990s, Stefan à Wengen has worked on larger groups of works that investigate questions of cultural codes and memory. Issues such as the foreign or the strange, death and memory, melancholy, existence, sexuality, anxiety, and the uncanny form the core of his artistic work. Empty landscapes, animal and human portraits, and reoccurring representational motifs make up part of his pictorial repertoire. His motifs are reminiscent of images from art history, film, or the subconscious.
Founded in 1994 by Dr Ute Eggeling and Michael Beck—both from art history and gallery backgrounds—Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art is a leading international gallery. Based in Düsseldorf, it specialises in exhibiting art by European masters of the 19th and 20th centuries, embracing Impressionism, Expressionism, and post-War Modernism, as well as working to foster international contemporary art.

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