Widely recognised as the principal figure within the New Leipzig School along with Rosa Loy (b. 1958, Zwickau), Neo Rauch (b. 1960, Leipzig) is renowned for his enigmatic, disturbing and nightmarish images that are painted in a style that unites the disparate traditions of Social Realism and Pop Art. Demonstrating a technical ability acquired under the communist education offered in the post-war German Democratic Republic, Rauch’s images often derive from his own dreams and are characterised by a sense of unease, disillusionment and the surreal. This large format painting is typical in its lurid palette, distorted perspective, theatrical composition and graphic style that bears the influence of popular culture and in particular cinema, television and comic strips.