Following his acclaimed exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this fully illustrated catalogue was published in conjunction with Neo Rauch s fourth solo exhibition at David Zwirner. One of his generation s most influential and virtuoso painters, Rauch continues the rich tradition of Leipzig figurative painting. Transforming typical industrious scenes into veritable dreamscapes, he transports viewers to a deeply personal and enigmatically symbolic universe. Rauch does not rely on existing imagery or models for his paintings, and while some begin as tiny sketches, he works his imagined scenes directly onto the canvas. He likens his process to reading a novel, with the paintings unfolding as surprisingly for their maker as for any viewer. Springing from dreams and shaped by experience, both past and present, Rauch s instinctive imagery and automatic approach exceed straightforward Surrealist concerns and restrictive artistic practice. Neo Rauch was born in 1960 in Leipzig, Germany, where he now lives and works. He was educated at the legendary Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, where he is currently Professor of Painting and Graphic Arts. In addition to his one-person exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (2007), Rauch was recently the subject of a major survey hosted by Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Wolfsburg, Germany (2006).