Stefan Kürten's paintings expose the dogged attempt to make life perfect,
at least on the surface. Stale bourgeois interiors, corporate lobbies, and
suburban homes recall the expectations and dreams embodied in the last
four decades of economic progress in the Western world.

Some of Kürten's imagery comes from 1970s books about living better and
creating the perfect setting for a classy cocktail or dinner party.

Other images are fabricated from his own recent snapshots of buildings and
homes in Germany and America. The paintings shimmer with an interior ra-
diance achieved through the artist's subtle use of metallic gold paint.

Kürten's paintings are about longing, dreaming, waking up and dreaming any-
way. The subjects, while realistically represented, appear fragile, unstable,
poised to disintegrate at the slightest question of their value. There is also
something sweetly pathetic about these scenes -- we recognize with compas-
sion the tenacious belief in beauty, perfection, and ultimate happiness.

Stefan Kürten was born and continues to live in Dusseldorf, Germany. He recent-
ly had a solo exhibition at Museum im Kulturspeicher in Würzburg, Germany. A
catalog will accompany the exhibition.