Last updated: 28 October 2026
Heidrun Rathgeb is the German artist, trained at the Slade, who turns sketchbook drawings of walks, lakes and family life into small, glowing egg tempera paintings and woodcuts. Here you will find our take on her work, where to see Heidrun Rathgeb now, the prints you can buy, and her small painting in this year’s War Child auction.
Our take on Heidrun Rathgeb
Rathgeb paints small moments she has lived through: a hut on a long hike, a daughter asleep, sun on a lake. Each one starts as a quick drawing in her sketchbook. She then works it up in egg tempera on a gesso panel, and sometimes again as a print. “With some of my paintings I think – I have to go further, I have to turn them into something else again, and that would be the starting point for a woodcut,” she says, as quoted by Oliver Projects.
Her War Child piece, Sunrise in Oria, is a small egg tempera. A pale yellow sun rises between two dark mountains, with low blue-grey ridges behind. Bands of mist cross the valley, and the sun’s reflection spreads in a bright yellow stripe across the lake. The panel sits on a darker brown board, which frames it like a window.
She has a serious following for such small works. Her paintings are in the Royal Collection, and Timothy Hyman RA has called her a “true heir” to Paula Modersohn-Becker on John Martin Gallery’s site. Her prints start at £295, so this lot is a rare chance at an original painting.
Heidrun Rathgeb: the essentials
- Born in 1967 in Tettnang, southern Germany, according to Gallery Sofie Van de Velde.
- Trained first in zoological illustration at the Fachhochschule Wiesbaden, then studied painting in London at the Byam Shaw School of Art and the Slade, where she took her MFA in 1999.
- Since 2001 she has lived with her family in a remote farmhouse near Lake Constance and the Alps, with one studio for painting and one for printmaking, according to John Martin Gallery.
- Has held artist residencies in Norway, Denmark, Scotland and Germany, including Dumfries House in Scotland in 2025.
- Her lot CV lists works in the Royal Collection and the AkzoNobel Art Foundation in Amsterdam.
- Represented by John Martin Gallery, London, and Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp.
Where to see Heidrun Rathgeb now
- Coming up: Sound & Vision 2026, a War Child charity auction online from 27 October to 12 November 2026, with the works on view at Iconic Images Gallery, London, 6 to 8 November. The piece is Sunrise in Oria (2026), egg tempera, 21 x 15 cm (8.3 x 5.9 in), lot page.
- Coming up: solo show, Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, 20 February to 28 March 2027.
- Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 16 June to 23 August 2026.
- As We Walked (solo), Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, Antwerp, 22 February to 23 March 2025.
- North of the Sun (solo), John Martin Gallery, London, 24 January to 16 February 2024.
How to buy a Heidrun Rathgeb print or painting
Oliver Projects in London sells her woodcuts and monotypes. These were in stock on 28 October 2026:
- Lotti, 2021: a woodcut, 28 x 19 cm (11 x 7.5 in), edition of 10, £295 unframed from Oliver Projects.
- Passage, 2021: a reduction woodcut from a drawing made in Norway, 26.5 x 35.5 cm (10.4 x 14 in), edition of 12, £325 unframed from Oliver Projects.
- Ena (III), 2022: a unique monotype, 18 x 20.5 cm (7.1 x 8.1 in), £300 unframed from Oliver Projects.
- Sunrise in Oria, 2026: a small egg tempera in the War Child Sound & Vision auction, bidding from £100 until 12 November 2026 (bid here).
- Paintings: through John Martin Gallery or Gallery Sofie Van de Velde, price on request.
Heidrun Rathgeb FAQs
Which gallery represents Heidrun Rathgeb?
John Martin Gallery in London and Gallery Sofie Van de Velde in Antwerp. Oliver Projects in London sells her prints.
What is egg tempera?
A paint made by mixing pigment with egg yolk. Rathgeb uses it on small gesso panels, which gives her paintings their luminous finish.
Can I buy a Heidrun Rathgeb print?
Yes. Oliver Projects sells her woodcuts and monotypes from £295, including Lotti (2021) in an edition of 10.
Where does Heidrun Rathgeb live?
In a remote farmhouse near Lake Constance in southern Germany, where she has lived with her family since 2001.
Where can I see her work in London?
Her War Child piece, Sunrise in Oria, is on view at Iconic Images Gallery from 6 to 8 November 2026.
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- Art on a Postcard: another charity art sale where small works by big names go for less.
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Main image: Heidrun Rathgeb drawing outdoors. Courtesy John Martin Gallery. Cropped and framed by CoolCuration. Exhibition dates, prices, auction results and market figures last checked: 28 October 2026.
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