“Kunst ist schön, macht aber viel Arbeit – Art is beautiful – but requires much work” This quote from the German comedian Karl Valentin describes perfectly the creation of art. It’s hard work, mentally and physically, however it ends up in satisfaction for me as the artist and hopefully for the viewer. ART IS BEAUTIFUL
Matthias Kern was born in Celle south of Hamburg. From a very early age he was exposed to various forms of art and attended all the art classes that were available in his hometown. He was fortunate to have attended classes with Martha Asfalck-Fietz, focusing on watercolor, and printmaking classes with Silvia Slawik-Nolte. At this point Matthias was guided to study with Helga Hentschel-Holterdorf in Worpswede, an artist colony located in northern Germany.
In the mid 1980’s, he became associated with other artists and held group shows in and around Celle and other German cities. In 1989 he had his first solo show, which brought him considerable notoriety and lead his work to be presented more widely. As the early 1990’s progressed, so did Matthias’ work. He presented work all over Germany.
After moving to New York, he had his first show in the DUMBO Art Festival in Brooklyn. Since then, he has had several solo shows in NYC and other places, like at the RAG in Roxbury, NY. Additionally, Kern exhibits at different locations around the USA as well as worldwide including Germany, Iceland, Australia and India.
For years he has been a vital part of the printmaking studio Manhattan Graphics Center in NYC, and teaches students the “wonder” of the printmaking art world.
Over the years, Matthias has experimented with various artistic expressions including watercolor, acrylic and pastel, and mainly in printmaking. He enjoys working different printmaking techniques including intaglio, dry point, aquatint, mezzotint, line etching, silk screen, monotype and woodcut. His vision is to achieve with his art feelings that we all have experienced, and to allow his audience to personalize those emotions to mean something specific for them.
