Albert Oehlen has redefined the boundaries of both figurative and abstract painting, expanding the definition of what makes a painting formally successful. While conscious of the conventional rules of painting, Oehlen specifically works against these theories of color and composition to expose their limitations. In a method akin to surrealism, Oehlen depicts seemingly unrelated colors and images, which when combined suggest stream of consciousness associations. This subversive process of abstraction has broadened the vocabulary of traditional painting and proven revelatory to his contemporaries.

In the early 1980’s Albert Oehlen first started showing in Germany and thereafter began exhibiting worldwide. Oehlen has recently become one of the most important artists working today as the significance of his work and conceptual process makes its mark on the discourse of painting. Albert Oehlen’s contribution to the art historical lineage of German painting is now clearly defined as a newly established generation of artists cites him as a major influence.