Hans Benda's work is deeply rooted in the rich tradition of European painting. His work however eschews romanticism and nostalgia, directly engaging today's increasingly intricate world by blending the ancient and the modern, the peaceful and the fraught, the indifferent and the beckoning.
He works in figurative portraits and landscapes. He responds to our outside world with a calm and observant realistic perspective. In his own words, Hans is "trying to catch one moment, one aspect of endless transition. Everything is on the move". Benda's landscapes and portraits remind us of how ephemeral the spectacle of life is and urge us to embrace it.
Born in Berlin in 1960, Hans Benda studied Fine Arts at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe (1982-87). After living in Belgium for many years, he currently divides his time between Idar-Oberstein (Germany) and Misakimachi (Japan). Benda’s work has been shown in Bangladesh, Belgium, France, Germany, Japan and the United States.