The film idol peers out from behind layers of colour: Peter Valentiner stages a game of hide-and-seek not only in his painting "Marlène" (1990). Form transforms into space, colour becomes light, surfaces emerge or sink back into the picture: with finesse and passion, the artist, who lives in Paris and Cologne, irritates the eye. For the viewer, it is always appealing to expose oneself to the pull of these works, which balance between cool hard-edge painting and baroque expressiveness. The Westernhagen Gallery (Bismarchstr. 33), which has firmly integrated Valentiner into its programme, now confronts the "Indeterminate Compositions" from the 1970s with new large-scale tangle complexes. A catalogue (30 Marks) created especially for this show now also meticulously traces the development of the painter, who began with politically-placative motifs in the spirit of the 68 revolt. (Until 2° June; Tue-Fri 3-6.30 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-1 p.m.)
Cologne Culture
Photo: Rosbach
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