Bill Brauer, 1939 | Figurative painter

Known nationally for his Figurative paintings, American painter Bill Brauer grew up in Queens, New York knowing he would be an artist. Brauer attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and was a protégé of the renowned surrealist painter Federico Castellon.

His first years as an artist were spent working as an illustrator, where Brauer applied his intellect and imagination to progress in his profession. He feels he still uses the design concepts he learned as an illustrator as a painter, manipulating space and form to create a sense of tension and mystery.

In the early 1960s, Brauer became involved in printmaking, holding his first major exhibition in 1974 with the Associated American Artists, “New Talent in Printmaking’” exhibition.

His work gained acclaim, and was sought after for exhibition. His work was selected for the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum and was featured in the “19th Annual Print Exhibition”.

In 1976, he received an individual grant from the Vermont Arts Council. Having long harbored the desire to be a serious painter, in 1978 Brauer began to concentrate exclusively on painting. In the late eighties, his work won mounting success and has since been exhibited extensively across the United States in both solo and group exhibitions.

Brauer’s paintings are highly sensual and moody, using intense colors and a finely tuned drawing ability to beautifully render women in narrative yet mysterious scenes. In an interview with the Sunday Times Argus, Brauer says, “I love the concept of mystery. I like the idea that something is taking place off the picture plane”.