Von Wolfe United Kingdom, b. 1966
The Lovers, 2026-2027
oil on canvas
190 x 190 cm
74 3/4 x 74 3/4 in
74 3/4 x 74 3/4 in
A bed dominates the frame: white, luminous, and upon it two figures exist in the suspended state between waking and dream. Von Wolfe paints the bed not as furniture but...
A bed dominates the frame: white, luminous, and upon it two figures exist in the suspended state between waking and dream. Von Wolfe paints the bed not as furniture but as a landscape: its expanse of white becomes a field upon which the drama of proximity unfolds. The colour restraint of whites, near-whites, the muted warmth of skin; yet within this narrow palette an extraordinary emotional range emerges. The figures do not touch, or barely touch; they inhabit the same white space like planets held in mutual orbit. There is something of Vilhelm Hammershøi here, of course, the Scandinavian mastery of interior silence, but Von Wolfe pushes further into psychological territory. This is a painting about what happens between people when nothing is happening: the charged quietude of shared air, the immense weight of presence, the way love sometimes announces itself most clearly through the simplest act of lying in the same room, on the same bed, in the same afternoon light.
Join our mailing list
* denotes required fields
In order to respond to your enquiry, we will process the personal data you have supplied to communicate with you in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google: Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.