Erich Paulsen

Erich Paulsen was born in a small village near Berlin in 1932.

Early working life

Erich showed a prodigious talent for painting as he was growing up.  Despite this, his father urged him to learn a “normal” profession and so he became a varnisher and whitewasher.

At his workplace the foreman, a budding amateur artist, painted landscapes in his free time. The young Erich Paulsen observed him, eager to try and paint. However, with no money to buy paint or brushes himself, Paulsen took some of the foreman’s paints to experiment with. Although, he was unable to take the brushes, which the foreman kept in a separate place. As such, Paulsen was forced to paint using the spatula which he normally took to remove old layers of paint.

When the foreman saw Paulsen’s first painting he was astounded. He gave Paulsen all of his painting materials, realising the young painters natural talent. This was the start of a very successful artistic career for him.

Professional career

After WWII, Paulsen went with his family to West Germany. Here he attended the Masters School for Painting in Hamburg, graduating with honours. Following this Erich has been a professional artist since 1970.

In general, Erich Paulsen prefers to paint landscapes and market scenes.  His paintings have a flair that is completely unique in the field of contemporary art. This is largely thanks to the vibrancy of his palette and strong textural approach using a palette knife. Paulsen continues the legacy of impressionist painting and brings his work into the modern age.

Critically, Paulsen has attracted high acclaim throughout the world. His work has been recognised in several exhibitions from New York to Sydney.

Present day

In 2018, after a long and successful career, Erich finally put down his paint brushes and retired as an artist. However, Forest Gallery continues to exhibit artworks as they become available from Erich’s own personal collection of paintings. Paulsen enjoys a growing number of serious collectors. If you are looking for a particular piece please get in touch with us.