Using rich egg tempera mixed with oil paint, Matthias Brandes creates dense, surreal worlds with architecture jumbled and askew, Italian cypresses like obelisks and ocean liners that seem at the same time massive and miniature. The subjects are full of dichotomies, with the paintings seeming to toe the line between portraiture, landscape, and still life.

Brandes was born in Bochum, Germany. He studied at the Academy and The University of Hamburg, specializing in art history and art-pedagogy. Since the late '60s he has devoted himself entirely to painting, living and working in Meolo near Venice/Italy. His work has been exhibited in Brussels, London, New York, Singapore, Hongkong, Busan, Seoul and throughout Europe, at Museo MAGI'900 Pieve di Cento/Bologna, Bell Art Center Bejing and Kunstforum Wien.