An Artist’s Journey: The Life of the Astounding Abstract Artist Rotraut

The artist works on intuition. Not formally educated in art, she allows her emotions to dictate how her pieces will take shape. Rotraut’s work is known worldwide and is often celebrated for its rawness, simplicity and authenticity.

Born on a half island in North Germany in 1938 during darker times, Rotraut’s unfortunate circumstances during her childhood allowed her to be deeply connected and immersed in nature, shaping her character, and inspiring her work as an artist.

Rotraut would paint with her brother when they were children, the relief and joy she felt while spontaneously bringing paint to a canvas and finding a story within the lines was the moment that started everything for her. 

Being surrounded by her artful, and now famous, brother, Gunther Uecker and his group of artist friends, Rotraut was inspired and released her first line of work in 1957 consisting of black and white abstract paintings that represented a release of frustration and depressive energy, turning those feelings into something magnificent. She experimented with many different techniques. 

“I wanted something that was mine,” she says. “I wanted to see the work that comes authentically from me. It was a hard time for me, it was the first time I was away from my family, so I felt depressed. I channeled that into my work, and that helped. I created something magical.”

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When Rotraut moved to Nice, France, she met her late husband, Yves Klein. They shared aspirations and bounced ideas off each other, both furthering their creative abilities and aspirations. Sadly, in 1962, Klein died while Rotraut was pregnant with their son. 

She coped with her grief by heavily promoting his work in galleries, sharing his art for the rest of the world to appreciate. She was also a new mother to their son, Yves Jr. After taking a short hiatus from her own work to promote his, she began to paint beautiful suns to continue her work and showcase the deep connection she feels to the cosmos. 

Rotraut moved from France to Arizona in 1982. The beauty of the landscape and chiseled mountains reminded her of her birthland in Germany. “The landscape gives me a sense of mystery and has such a strong spirit, I felt so connected to it.”

When Rotraut met her second husband, Daniel Moquay, in 1986 he took over the promotion of Klein’s work so she could solely focus on creating her own pieces. Together they had three children. 

“Daniel was an immense help to me, not only did he take over with promoting Yves’ art, but he also helped me to promote my own so my only focus would be to paint,” she says. 

In 1992, Rotraut started her first sculpture, which she made by quickly projecting liquid plaster onto a plastic sheet with a bottle, creating an abstract shape. She would then bring the fragile shape to the copy machine to produce an image and project the photo, enlarging it. She would then trace the form on paper and place it on a metal sheet; with the help of others, that drawing would become the towering aluminum sculpture seen and appreciated by many today.

“My sculptures are deeply connected to Earth’s energy,” Rotraut says. “They are part of the terrestrial force and subterranean movement of the planet moving through me and blooming in my works. They enhance a space, breathing life and positivity into it.”

Her sculptures have personalities. Some look like dancing figures flowing and flailing through the air, while others look like animals or butterflies you would find in nature. To some, they might depict puzzles or mazes. The beauty of her art is that it can become whatever the viewer wants it to be.

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In an interview with French journalist, Jacques Bouzerand, Rotraut says, “I think art should have no limits. Limits would be absurd… Art must enjoy complete freedom through all forms of expression, all experiences and all forms of matter.” 

The artist’s work has been exhibited across the Valley, including at the Desert Botanical Garden and Sculpture Park in Tucson. Her large pieces were displayed among the desert plants, capturing the attention of patrons who passed through. 

While Rotraut’s journey has not been easy, filled with highs and lows, she has created beautiful works that capture her life experience. There are lessons within her art, invoking feelings and emotions that resonate with the beholder.