Have I got nudes for you

4:33pm Friday 25th January 2008

Ever wanted to know the difference between a painting of a naked women and a bone-fide nude? Look no further than the work of German expressionist Gernot Kissel, which goes on display at Richmond Hill Gallery next week.

"Kissel paints women the way that women like to be seen," says gallery owner and director, Marianna Penturo. "Rather than painting a portrait - or worse, a still life - he paints the feel of the woman, that is to say how she feels inside her own character.

"Many nudes are like photographs - the subject looks transparent or vulnerable. But as a women, you want to be seen from within. And Kissel see that and paints the strength."

Born in Germany in 1939, Kissel started painting at the age of 18 but worked as an architect and engineer before becoming a full-time artist.

His still lifes and landscapes are bold works with vibrant colour and stark line but it is his nudes that have built him a following throughout Europe, America and more recently, the UK.

In fact, such is his international reputation that you might expect him to exhibit in central London when he comes to this country. But Kissel prefers the quieter scene in Richmond-upon-Thames and in particular, the space at 26, Richmond Hill.

Penturo has worked with him for six years and prior to that, he exhibited with Piano Nobile, the gallery that used to occupy the same building.

"He loves the feeling in the gallery - the space, the light, the ambience," she says. "So when I moved down here from further up the hill, his agent approached me. I jumped at the chance and gave him a three-man show straight away. And I'm so glad that I inherited him."

So is Kissel as much of a ladies man in person as he is in the studio? Penturo chuckles. "He is a charming man. In some ways, he is very much like Picasso. When he is painting live, he is in this really, intense moment - trying to capture the unseen on the canvas.

"He talks to his models while he is painting them and they are strong characters, these ladies. When you look at them, they seem to be between poses - turning away or moving towards him. Rather than a wooden still life, they are living and breathing."

A week before the private view, Penturo has already sold six of Kissel's canvasses. He is, she stresses, one of the most significant artists that the gallery exhibits.

"Any time we have a Kissel show, we have to let the Royal Academy of Arts know," she says. "He is just such an important artist - nationally and internationally. And as many women buy these paintings as men."

Gernot Kissell, Richmond Hill Gallery, 26 Richmond Hill, Richmond, Friday, February 1 to Sunday, March 2, open Tuesday - Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-6pm, call 020 8940 5152.