Working in both additive and reductive processes, Petra Rös-Nickel builds and removes layers from the surface of each canvas, presenting panes of color that shift between foreground and background. This manipulation of space through color challenges the viewer’s perception of depth and visual order. Her artistic practice is closely associated with Concrete Art, where color, form, line, and surface exist independently rather than representationally. Her work can be grouped into visual categories such as “patchwork,” “windows,” and “oscillating lines.” While these groups differ in their visual expression, the artist’s distinctive methods and formal language remain cohesive.
Rös-Nickel was born in 1963 in Wathlingen near Celle, Germany. She studied fashion design at the professional school for clothing in Bremen in 1980 before turning to architecture in Eckernförde in 1982. Drawn to the creative aspects of architectural study, she developed the foundations of her painting practice through applied design. Her work reflects principles aligned with Bauhaus traditions, emphasizing clarity, reduction, structure, and a universal visual language.
Petra Rös-Nickel’s original paintings merge bright colors, architectural composition, and structured patterning in oil and mixed media on canvas. Her contemporary works feature textured surfaces that reference European textile design of the 1950s and 1960s. Often developed within a focused color range, her paintings activate the space they inhabit through order, precision, and rhythmic balance.
Rös-Nickel’s abstract geometric works have been exhibited and collected worldwide, including in Germany, Belgium, the United States, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Notable collectors include Chris Rock.
