Werner Bronkhorst is a contemporary artist who brings an understanding of visual contradiction and technical ability to his practice. He is known for his sculptural abstract images with hyper-real miniatures, and his charcoal automotive drawings layered with bold statements. Often regarded as a significant new voice in contemporary figurative and conceptual art, Bronkhorst's work engages with perception and scale in powerful and poetic ways.
Whether you are a seasoned collector or a new investor looking for beautiful, engaging and conceptually loaded artwork, Bronkhorst's work occupies a unique place to appreciate technique and storytelling. Having built a presence through Instagram, to increasing global attention and new collectors, the range of Bronkhorst artworks is currently available from high-value originals as well as limited editions for investment.
About Werner Bronkhorst
As originally born in South Africa and now practising from his studio in Australia, Bronkhorst's perspective as a contemporary artist is undoubtedly global. A strong interest in both design and spatial awareness defines Bronkhorst's sense of place and visual language, capturing fine art realism with an installation sensibility. Bronkhorst's work can cleverly juxtapose abstract planes in clean, abstract, yet metallic surfaces with human figures on a small scale, inviting viewers to explore space, intimacy, and forms of human behaviour.
The use of digital platforms has enhanced Bronkhorst's visibility across social media, helping to propel Bronkhorst's success with coinciding virality - short clips of Bronkhorst's artwork showing fine details of the figures, or the cinematic quality of his multiple/vintage car drawings—has drawn the attention of countless followers from around the world. Collectors have consequently been drawn to Bronkhorst's work, who is now regarded as one of the most recognisable new voices in contemporary figurative and conceptual art.
Iconic Series and Artworks
Bronkhorst's work is organised through different series, where he creatively investigates specific visual and thematic territories. The White Lines series has a nod to a modernist aesthetic with empty and stark surfaces, adorned with performative miniature figures making gestures against a multitude of geometrically carved forms that are abstract. The White Lines series invites contemplation of loneliness, motion and minimalist composition.
The Forbidden Grass series shifts focus to textures that mirror nature, combining turf, pigment, interruption of the sculptural, and suggesting suppressed behaviours. Human forms within Forbidden Grass are either diminished or absorbed by nature, drawing humour from forms of existential absurdity around the environment and control.
The Wet series is perhaps one of Bronkhorst's most visually immediate, consisting of high-contrast automotive drawings, typically of vintage cars, overlaid with large, hand-written text. Monaco and Sail Away represent some of Bronkhorst's best work in this series and are funny, whilst invoking speed, nostalgia, lust, and longing.
Bronkhorst's wit, restraint, and technical ability render the creation of works that are immediately available in form but rich in meaning.
Artistic Techniques and Themes
Bronkhorst is recognised as an artist who is intentional with his material choices, and works in layers. His sculptural works effectively provide a highly textured often architectural backdrop with material like wood, foam, paint and artificial grass. He then assembles miniature human figurines to create stark oppositions in scale, texture and gesture.
Bronkhorst has also created motor vehicle pieces (in charcoal and graphite) that are technically precise and tonally rich. He often uses overlaid text, which is typically handwritten in bold strokes, as an additional layer of conceptual thought, including emotive/reflective content.
Thematically, Bronkhorst often explores notions of the human condition through the themes of sport, leisure, nature and intimacy. The miniature figures he creates, running on synthetic grass, encapsulated in a white void, climbing concrete surfaces play out a tension of agency in a specific environment.
Art Market and Investment
Werner Bronkhorst's market momentum has developed rapidly (in the last few years or so). He has exhibited in solo and group exhibitions, in Australia and international spaces, has sold out multiple exhibitions and has an increasing presence on the secondary market. He has had some recent auction sales, and his gallery sales data indicate a strong and steady increase in value, especially for his works from the White Lines and Wet series.
Based on its strong visual appeal and conceptual engagement, risk-tolerant collectors are drawn to Bronkhorst's work because of the multiple ways in which the work speaks to other practices at the intersection of minimalist sculpture, text works inspired by popular culture, and hyper-realistic drawing. The overlap of these practices gives Bronkhorst a chance of collecting interest from the gallerist in both contemporary and design markets.
The artist's profile is accelerating. His artworks offer a perspective into new media and conceptual art appreciated by collectors with interest in technically masterful, narrative-based storytelling.
Authenticity and Provenance
When purchasing any of Werner Bronkhorst's works, the authentication is very important. You should receive a certificate of authenticity with every work created by the artist or authorised galleries or dealers. The certificate of authenticity will guarantee that your work is a genuine piece produced by the artist or their estate.
The proper authentication can come from provenance and the history of the artwork, knowing that it came from the correct galleries and publishers. We are always happy to provide that information as we will check the authenticity and provenance of an artwork as part of the FairArt guarantee.