Painter and graphic artist Karin Kneffel, 68, has been awarded the prestigious Art and Culture Prize of German Catholics, which comes with a 25,000 euro ($27,000) cash award. The ceremony took place Wednesday evening at the Museum Kolumba in Cologne, where she was recognized as one of the most outstanding visual artists of our time.
The award is jointly presented by the German Bishops' Conference (DBK) and the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) every two to four years since 1990. The previous recipient in 2021 was Brazilian dancer Lia Rodrigues, 69, making Kneffel the latest honoree of this distinguished recognition.
During the award ceremony, Georg Bätzing, Chairman of the German Bishops' Conference, emphasized the relevance of contemporary arts in addressing fundamental human experiences. "Contemporary arts deal with beginning and end, pain and redemption, hope and despair, the familiar and the foreign. In this, the existence of today's people and their search for deeper meaning is focused like through a magnifying glass," Bätzing stated. "The Church cannot and will not ignore this."
Irme Stetter-Karp, President of the Central Committee of German Catholics, praised Kneffel's artistic achievement, noting that her work conveys brilliance without superficial appearance. "Rather, the deep beauty of your art can awaken in us viewers the need to see our own lives, our faith, and our relationships anew," Stetter-Karp remarked during the presentation.
In her acceptance speech, Kneffel expressed gratitude for the honor and acknowledged its significance. She noted that the Catholic Church's recognition demonstrates its inclusion of contemporary art in dialogue, showing great openness and trust in the power of images to communicate meaningful messages.
Kneffel gained recognition through her large-format still lifes, fire paintings, animal portraits, and interior scenes. The jury praised her technical perfection and the "differently fractured viewer perspectives" in her predominantly photorealistic paintings. Her animal portraits are particularly noted for their disturbing gaze "that seems to ask people how things stand with the world as our common home."
The artist's most recent painting cycle, "Face of a Woman, Head of a Child," received special attention from the jury. According to their assessment, "Kneffel takes up the Christian iconography of Mary with the Christ child and simultaneously breaks away from it. No veil, no halo. Kneffel gives them their own dignity; Mary and Jesus appear incognito, very present, very approachable."
Born in Marl in 1957, Kneffel studied painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and in Paris. Her artistic career reached a significant milestone in 1996 when she received the renowned Villa Massimo Prize, which included a year-long residency in Rome. Her works have been featured in numerous exhibitions both domestically in Germany and internationally, establishing her reputation as a major contemporary artist. Kneffel currently lives and works in Düsseldorf, where she continues to create her distinctive photorealistic paintings that challenge viewers' perceptions and invite deeper contemplation of faith, humanity, and our shared world.
