Fabian Pfleger

*1991 in Bonn, Germany

New figurative painting with self-irony and philosophical depth

Fabian Pfleger’s works are characterized by a special depth; they tell complex stories uniquely, whereby the figures and characters in Fabian Pfleger’s works are exclusively self-portraits. Like an actor, the artist slips into the different roles of the scene.

Honored with the Academy Selection Award

Fabian Pfleger’s special talent was discovered by judges at an early stage. He received the BEST sponsorship award back in 2018 and, a year later, became a scholarship holder of the Dr. Hans-Werner Dildei Foundation. In June 2022, Fabian Pfleger received the first Academy Selection Award, which honors young up-and-coming talents from art academies all over Germany. Since then, Fabian Pfleger has been exclusively represented by Gallery Kellermann.

The self-portrait as an iterative art form

“The decision to base all paintings exclusively on self-portraits is as radical as it is daring. In our immediate present, the self-portrait has been banalized into a cliché image through selfies and their immediate publication on the internet. This is precisely what Fabian Pfleger reverses. In view of this phenomenon of selfies, Fabian Pfleger’s paintings are highly reflective. Although the painter often stands on and in front of the canvas a dozen times or more, he never depicts himself naively, but always in a reflective manner … Each painting is a sequence of the artist’s reflections on his work, whose inner structure is incalculable. His works are also characterized by a great sense of humor and absurdity. Who has ever built paintings purely on multiple self-portraits in the same picture?” – Robert Fleck, Prorector of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Exhibitions and art fairs

2024:

Art Artist, Düsseldorf, Germany

2023:

Ego Metamorphose, solo exhibition, Gallery Kellermann, Düsseldorf, Germany
#OrangeTheWorld, Gallery Kellermann, Düsseldorf, Germany
Knokke Art Fair, Gallery Kellermann, Knokke, Netherlands
Positions Berlin Art Fair, Gallery Kellermann, Berlin, Germany

2022:

Academy Selection, Gallery Kellermann, Düsseldorf, Germany

2021:

Index 2021, Gallery kunst-raum, Essen, Germany
Final presentation, Düsseldorf Art Academy, Düsseldorf, Germany

2020:

Surprize, Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, German
Fabian Pfleger, private bank Merck Finck, Düsseldorf, Germany

2019:

BEST Group, Düsseldorf, Germany

2018:

Hearthouse, Munich, Germany
Discovery Art Fair, Cologne, Germany

2017:

art CAROUSEL, alte Kämmerei Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
Gallery kunst-raum, Essen, Germany

2016:

Square Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Eye-catching, BBK Düsseldorf, Germany
Small wonders, Gallery Goltz, Essen, Germany

2015:

Identity, Mojavari Gallery, Berlin, Germany
No exhibitions allowed, Prinsengracht 72, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Biography

Fabian Pfleger (*1991 in Bonn) changed to the Düsseldorf Art Academy while still studying philosophy. His insatiable need to find expression in painting drove him to develop his very own approach to figurative painting. He ordered models into his studio, attended nude drawing courses alongside the academy, and studied drawing books in order to be able to bring his complex narratives to the canvas. But he soon realized that his studies always revolved around his very own experience and his own, sometimes bizarre, perception. So he eventually had to portray himself, and this way of working earned him a distinctive style years before graduating from the academy.

In summer 2021, Fabian Pfleger graduated from the Düsseldorf Academy as a master student.

Works

Unique Artworks

Artworks on Canvas

Artworks on paper

Large Size

Small & Medium Size

Wall Sculptures

Sculptures

Outdoor Objects

Multiples

Graphic Art

News

Publications