Claudia Terstappen

Claudia Terstappen - Waben (honeycomb)

Artist Biography: Claudia Terstappen was born in 1959 and her creative work was mainly influenced by the 1970s. Conceptualism is often perceived as a reaction to Minimalism and the dominant art movement of the 1970s, pushing the boundaries of art with revolutionary characteristics. The movements that emerged represented a strong desire for progress and consolidation in the art world in response to the tensions of the previous 1960s. The art of the process branched out from Conceptualism, highlighting some of its most essential aspects, but going further to create mysterious and experimental artistic journeys. Land Art brought creation to the open air, initiating the first philosophies of the environment. In Germany, Expressionist figurative painting got another chance for the first time since the decline of Abstract Expressionism, nearly two decades earlier. The genre regained its distinction through the brushstrokes of Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz. Most of the critically acclaimed artists of the '60s who had gained success and popularity maintained their status in the '70s. Andy Warhol was a key figure in both decades, and in the 1970s he began experimenting with film and magazine publications, engaging in a cross-cultural activity that no other visual artist in his category had previously undertaken. In doing so, he secured his status as a celebrity. The cosmopolitan and refined position that New York City had maintained in the 1960s remained just as influential in the 1970s. With multiple world-renowned artists gravitating towards the galleries and downtown scene, the city once again strengthened its reputation as the artistic heart of the generation. Street art began to emerge as a true and recognized art form towards the end of the 1970s. Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring were pioneers in demonstrating that their works could exist in both art galleries and urban environments. Street art, driven by graffiti art, proved from its earliest days that it could endure in a perpetual flow of self-transformation, continually pushing the boundaries of modern art, becoming a truly innovative art genre.