Collection: ROTRAUT
Rotraut Klein-Moquay, known by her mononym Rotraut, is a German-French visual artist whose lively and intuitive forms – recurrent in both her paintings and sculpture – interpret the universal intelligence for the human eye.
Born in Rerik, Germany in 1938, Rotraut began creating artwork in her youth, inspired by her natural surroundings. She received early training and guidance from her brother, Günther Uecker, one of the early leaders of the ZERO art movement.
Rotraut’s practice evolved as she moved to Nice, France in 1957, where she worked as an au pair for the family of the artist Arman. In the ensuing years, Rotraut was deeply connected to the artistic movements taking hold in Western Europe and New York. It was during this time that she created the first of her “Galaxies” paintings and perfected the craft of her forms, referred to by curator Klaus Ottmann as “symbols of the ‘collective unconsciousness’” and by art historian Julia Friedman as “mediumistic.” Rotraut’s work was exhibited for the first time in Nice in 1958, and a public exhibition at New Visions Centre Gallery in London, England followed in 1959.
It was also during this time that Rotraut met the artist Yves Klein, with whom she explored the concepts of cosmic energy and immaterial sensibility in art. They also collaborated on works, including Klein’s famed Anthropométries series. The two married in 1962. After Klein’s untimely death at the age of 34, Rotraut established the Yves Klein Archives in Paris.
Rotraut later settled in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where she maintains her primary studio practice. In Arizona, she began the prolific creation of her large-scale, boldly colored sculptures, which give volume to her forms. Her sculpture has been widely exhibited, including in Saint Tropez, France, Lugano, Switzerland and, most recently, the Desert Botanical Garden in Arizona.
Rotraut has participated in dozens of solo and group exhibitions throughout her career. Her work is represented in numerous public collections, including the Centre Pompidou in France, the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Denmark, and the Phoenix Art Museum in the United States, as well as private collections in Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Monaco, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. In March 2024, she was recognized by the Government of France as an Officier in the Ordre des Artes et des Lettres, one of the highest honors granted by France to individuals for their contributions to their arts.
