After a Dream

Sophie von Hellermann pairs figures from literature, art history, and imagination to explore creative relationships and romantic longing through fluid, gestural painting.

Why go

Von Hellermann's eighth solo show at Greene Naftali reimagines Romantic painting's emotional intensity—sunsets, horizons, merged identities—through thinned pigment on raw canvas, pairing historical figures (Gauguin and van Gogh, Turner) with literary characters and invented companions to probe desire, reciprocity, and the fleeting nature of peak ex

What to expect

Large-scale paintings (up to 10 feet) rendered in raw pigment and acrylic emulsion on canvas, depicting pairs in states of mutual absorption, ecstasy, and communion. Works range from intimate scenes to expansive landscapes, with installation views showing how the works dialogue across the ground floor gallery space.

Things to know

• Eighth solo exhibition with the artist at Greene Naftali.
• Works include historical pairings: Gauguin and van Gogh in a sunflower field; von Hellermann herself with J.M.W. Turner sharing a paintbrush
• Largest work, 'The sun rises over water' (2025), measures 410 x 600 cm (13.5 x 19.7 feet).
• Von Hellermann's signature technique uses thinned paint on raw canvas to capture emotional fluidity and the fleeting nature of longed-for st
• Exhibition explores themes of alignment, reciprocity, and the Romantic belief that 'the outer world is a reflection of the inner world.'
• Curator Anne Pontegnie notes the work's treatment of reality and fiction as simultaneous construction of individual and collective.

Plan your visit

Gallery hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 10AM–6PM. Located at 508 West 26th Street, Ground Floor, New York. Phone: (212) 463-7770.