A. R. Penck

Born Ralf Winkler in Dresden, Germany, A. R. Penck (a pseudonym he adopted from geologist Albrecht Penck) developed a distinctive visual language that blended primitive art influences with modern symbolism. As a young man in East Germany, he actively resisted the official art establishment, refusing to study at an academy and forming the renegade artists' group Erste Phalanx Nedserd, which sought artistic work without compromise. This independent spirit meant he often had to…