Biography

Julian David van de Sand (born 2001 in Gelnhausen, Germany) is a contemporary painter and photographer based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Working primarily with oil on artist-built canvases in an impressionistic manner and film-like photography, he is best known for paintings that traverse the boundary between abstraction and figuration. His painterly process is defined by the repeated application of thin layers of paint that are subsequently wiped back, leaving only a few loose, essential brushstrokes. The resulting works often present dream-like scenes that capture brief, light-flooded moments, with recurring motifs such as dreamscapes, clouds, and bouquets.

In his practice, van de Sand explores the search for beauty within imperfection, foregrounding a philosophical reflection on the value and finitude of time. His images, both painted and photographic, are marked by an atmosphere of quiet contemplation and temporal fragility. A central body of work is his ongoing series of cloud paintings, initiated in 2024, in which he not only developed new technical approaches to his characteristic painting method but also began constructing his own stretcher frames. These works acquire a gracefully aged appearance: the frame’s structure subtly emerges through the canvas, and traces of the process—marks, structures, and labor—remain visible rather than concealed. In celebrating the handmade and the irregular, the series positions itself as a discreet counterpoint to mass-produced perfection, allowing every indentation and irregularity to function as a memory and a narrative inscribed in the surface of the work.

Although still at an early stage in his artistic career, Julian David van de Sand’s work has already found its way into private collections in Peru and several regions of Germany. This growing interest from collectors reflects the resonance of his contemplative visual language and his distinctive approach to material and form. As his body of work continues to develop, his practice is increasingly positioned within contemporary conversations surrounding abstraction, the handmade, and the poetic potential of fleeting everyday moments.

CV

Born in Gelnhausen, Germany, 2001.

Lives and works in Frankfurt, Germany.

Collections

The works of Julian van de Sand are found in privat collections in Germany, Switzerland, as well as Peru.

Education

[2018-2021] Abitur with focus on design and media, August-Bebel-Schule, Offenbach,  Germany

[2021-2024] Apprenticeship carpenter, Schreinerei Hubl und Hubl,  Nieder-Mockstadt, Germany

[2024-Dato] Studying fine Arts at HfG Offenbach, Germany