Rotraut Klein-Moquay, known simply as Rotraut, is a German-French artist born in 1938. Her vibrant and celestial sculptural work is part of a sensitive quest for harmony between humanity, nature, and the universe.
Born in Rerik, East Germany, Rotraut trained early on with her brother Günther Uecker, a key figure in the ZERO movement. In the 1950s, she moved to Nice as an au pair with the family of artist Arman, quickly integrating into the artistic circle of the French Riviera.
It was in Nice that she met Yves Klein, becoming his partner, assistant, and then his wife in 1962. She collaborated on his performances, particularly the Anthropometries, and began developing her own practice from that time.
After Klein’s sudden death in 1962, while she was pregnant with their son, she dedicated herself to preserving his work by founding the Yves Klein Archives in Paris.
An Expanding Personal Body of Work
From the 1970s, Rotraut asserted her style: cosmic painting with the Galaxies series, dreamlike works exhibited notably at the Centre Pompidou (1977) and the Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (1975).
From the 1990s, she primarily dedicated herself to monumental sculpture, using aluminum, bronze, wood, and marble. Her forms are non-figurative, inspired by the cosmos, light, and vital forces. She favors bold colors: red, blue, yellow, and often installs them outdoors.
Her creations are designed to interact with space, light, and the viewer’s movement. She states: When I paint the sky and the stars, I feel at peace. The galaxy is my past and my future.
International Recognition
Rotraut exhibits in prestigious venues:
- Desert Botanical Garden (Phoenix)
- Linda and Guy Pieters Foundation (Saint-Tropez)
- Centre Pompidou Metz
- Louisiana Museum (Denmark)
- Palazzo Ducale (Geneva)
Her works are present in numerous collections: Centre Pompidou, MAMAC Museum in Nice, Kaiser Wilhelm Museum (Krefeld), Phoenix Art Museum…
In 2024, she was named Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government.
After Yves Klein, Rotraut remarried in 1968 to Daniel Moquay, with whom she had three children. Today, she divides her time between France, Germany, Arizona, and Australia, continuing to create works that connect continents, cultures, and elements.
“Skywatcher” at Château D’Arsac: Cosmic Sculpture
In the park of Château d’Arsac, Rotraut’s “work Skywatcher” rises like a silent sentinel. A vibrant yellow sculpture with ascending and dynamic forms, it captures the light and integrates into the Médoc landscape with strength and lightness.
Skywatcher embodies the essence of her work: a link between earth and sky, peaceful verticality, an invitation to contemplate the space above. This sculpture, though solid, seems ready to dance with the stars.
Rotraut, a free and luminous artist, has managed to emancipate herself from legends to write her own artistic narrative. Skywatcher, at Château d’Arsac, is an ode to the sky, to matter, and to serenity. It reminds us that art is also a way to look up and dream higher.
To discover, along with other artists, on our Art & Vines page
https://chateau-arsac.com/art-contemporain-vigne-alliance-chateau-arsac/
