Elvira Bach

Elvira Bach is a leading figure among the so-called “Young Wild Ones.” Born in Neuenhain in 1951, the artist is best known for her large-scale, vibrantly colored portraits of women.

Her works center on powerful and self-assured female figures. Exaggerated bodies, long limbs, and striking faces give them a strong and confident presence. Large eyes, accentuated lips, and bold colors make the figures particularly expressive. In her sculptures as well, Bach engages deeply with the female figure. She works with materials such as bronze, ceramics, and Murano glass. Her sculptures echo the characteristic forms of the women she paints: voluptuous bodies, accentuated feminine curves, and a self-assured posture. Thanks to their three-dimensionality, the figures have a physical presence and clearly occupy their space.

Bach is not concerned with creating a lifelike depiction. The figures are deliberately stylized and exaggerated. They embody strength, sensuality, joie de vivre, and self-determination, while also reflecting various facets of womanhood. Thus, her female figures—in both painting and sculpture—become an expression of her own lived experience.

1967–1970 Hadamar State School of Glass (Germany)
1972–1979 Studied under Hahn Trier at the Berlin University of the Arts