Modern Freskos: Berlin Artist Paul Kuntze Debuts Solo Show at Black Cube Gallery

Sanya Malik’s Black Cube Gallery in Hauz Khas, New Delhi, announces a landmark exhibition in the Indian contemporary art circuit as one of the most intriguing international debuts of the season. The exhibition is christened “Modern Freskos”, the first solo exhibition in India by young Berlin-based contemporary artist, Paul Kuntze. The exhibition will be on display from December 5 to 27, 2025 (Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6 PM), as it captures a rare convergence of history and contemporary art. 

The artist Paul Kuntze has emerged as a practitioner whose art encapsulates an interplay of dialogues with centuries of artistic tradition while also maintaining a distinctively modern visual template. Through his art, he tends to reinterpret the grand frescoes of European Baroque churches and palaces, integrating them with 20th-century abstractions. His work brings a remarkable synthesis of two distinct artistic eras, making people grasp the ancient vibe of the art while still looking at a near-modern frame. Thus, it assures to emerge as a bridge between the grandeur of the Baroque age and the expressive freedom of the 21st century.

Exhibition Info

Artist Bio: The Vision Behind the Canvases

Paul Kuntze, born in 1995, lives and works in Germany. His practice is deeply rooted in the visual heritage of churches and royal interiors that defined Baroque Europe. Drawing inspiration from the masters of illusionistic ceiling painting, Pietro da Cortona, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and Andrea Pozzo, Paul channels their artistic flair into modern forms. Across exhibitions in Berlin, Leipzig, and Copenhagen, reviewers have described his work as “a study in suspended time,” balancing historical gravitas with contemporary dissonance. His Indian debut marks a significant expansion of his international trajectory.

Baroque Reimagined: A Dialogue Between Past and Present

As an artist, Paul Kuntze tends to admire the Baroque ceiling frescoes of historic European churches and palaces. These monumental visions of heaven, that adorned the interiors of churches and palaces from Rome to Bavaria, emerged as a subject of true fascination for him. Historically, Baroque frescoes were designed as portals to the divine, employing illusionistic techniques like foreshortening, dramatic chiaroscuro, and radiant mythological imagery to create immersive spiritual experiences. The dramatic illusionism of masters like François Boucher soon turned into a childhood fascination for Paul, as he often grappled with how such precision could be achieved on a ceiling. It is the magnetism of this art that compelled him to turn his enchantment into his visual language.  

The spirit of the Baroque resonates in Paul’s canvas; however, he did not choose to simply feature reproductions of the same art form. He chose to reimagine the Baroque and overlay it with Abstract Expressionism. He permitted his brushstrokes to exist at the intersection of control and instinct. This ultimately resulted in a fusion, a unique hybrid. In his previous exhibitions across Europe, Paul seeks to “remind the viewer of original frescos but with intuitive parts in it,” thus prompting audiences to respond creatively rather than passively. His paintings emerge as a portal that could mediate a conversation between historical grandiosity and contemporary abstraction.

The Production of Art 

Paul’s way of processing creativity is noted to be executed through a planned colour scheme for the background. The chosen gradient is achieved through multiple layers of acrylic sprays. This exercise ensures the framing of the atmospheric perspective in traditional ceiling paintings. The conjecture of the street-art-inspired base is made to contrast with subsequent layers of abstracts. Paul implements a wide range of tools, from soft brushes for delicate strokes to a palette knife for a vintage texture. Through the deployment of this technique, the artist achieves a unique structure and perspective, imitating a three-dimensional aspect, by having a buildup of masses of paint. This technique involves both the centuries-old demand for precision and an apt tinge of abstract expressionism as well. The final pieces appear as if fragments of a tumultuous sky, complete with gods and celestial scenes, have drifted gently down to earth.

The Aesthetics of Tension: Control vs. Intuition

Art critics in Berlin and Munich have noted that Paul’s works are defined by an inner tension, structure battling impulse, precision with spontaneity. This tension is the axis of Paul’s re-envisioning of the fresco tradition. He embraces the freedom of the contemporary canvas to draw the stringently concretized frescos and to allow them to co-exist as a fresh artistic hybrid. 

The surfaces he creates are mostly weathered, almost appearing like archaeologically retrieved fragments of a long-lost ceiling painting that withstood the ravages of historical time and has finally settled into the present moment. He employs layers of muted hues to collide with the luminous patches of colour; it effuses the perfect perception of being “heavenly” or “other worldly”. 

These conscious stylistic choices fix the artist as one of the most worthy names among contemporary artists like Anselm Kiefer, who reconstructs European trauma through monumental canvases, or Francesco Clemente, who fuses spiritual symbolism with modern expressionism. However, Paul’s work remains distinct and insists on a careful analysis of his craft. 

Key Highlights 

• A rare introduction of Paul Kuntze’s work to Indian audiences.
  
• Contemporary reinterpretations of Baroque ceiling fresco traditions.
  
• A powerful blend of illusionism, abstraction, and figurative suggestion.
  
• Exploration of tension between control and spontaneity, a signature of Kuntze’s method.
  
• The artworks appear “ancient yet alive,” echoing fragments of celestial architecture.
  
• Curated by Sanya Malik, known for promoting cutting-edge contemporary artists at Black Cube Gallery.

The Black Cube 

 

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Black Cube Gallery is known for its dedication to promoting a dialogue across generations and mediums. It frequently showcases a blend of modern Indian artists alongside emerging contemporary voices. Sanya Malik, the gallery’s founder, often emphasizes creating accessible and flexible spaces that adapt to the art. The recent initiative of Modern Freskos aligns perfectly with this ethos, as it serves as a catalytic demonstration of how art history can be reborn and recontextualised. Paul’s work contributes to a growing trend among contemporary artists who subvert or re-engage with the classical period’s art and wipe off its label of elitist history, making them a part of modern conversation with other sensitivities. 

A Statement for Contemporary Art in India

Modern Freskos is an important statement on the global nature of contemporary art. Paul’s vision is refreshing because it simply does not reproduce the past; it actively deconstructs it, retaining the awe-inspiring atmosphere while replacing dogma with intuitive expression. Paul excavates the emotional and spatial power of Baroque frescoes and rebuilds them in a language that belongs entirely to the present.

For the Indian audience, this exhibition might feel radically new and familiar at the same time. It will feel familiar. It echoes the grandeur of historical art forms and is new because it recasts them through contemporary expression. It is a brilliant example of how a young artist can honour history while augmenting it with a different mindset. Black Cube Gallery has not only introduced an important young international artist to India but has also offered a thoughtful meditation. 

So, don’t miss this opportunity to witness the celestial fragments Paul Kuntze has sent drifting down to the heart of Hauz Khas.