Art Term

Neue Wilde

The term Neue Wilde was used in Germany for neo-expressionism, a movement which saw the re-emergence of expressive painting in the late 1970s and 1980s

Anselm Kiefer, ‘Parsifal III’ 1973
Anselm Kiefer
Parsifal III 1973
Tate
© Anselm Kiefer
Georg Baselitz, ‘Adieu’ 1982
Georg Baselitz
Adieu 1982
Tate
© Georg Baselitz
Anselm Kiefer, ‘Lilith’ 1987–9
Anselm Kiefer
Lilith 1987–9
Tate
© Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer, ‘Urd, Verdandi, Skuld (The Norns)’ 1983
Anselm Kiefer
Urd, Verdandi, Skuld (The Norns) 1983
Tate / National Galleries of Scotland
© Anselm Kiefer

Like other neo-expressive movements of this era, the work of the Neuen Wilden (i.e. new Fauves), is characterised by bright, intense colours and quick, broad brushstrokes, and can be seen to have arisen in opposition to the then dominant avant-garde movements of minimal art and conceptual art.

Neue Wilde artists Georg Baselitz and Anselm Kiefer have become major international figures.