Heidrun Rathgeb is an artist based in southern Germany. Since 2001 she has lived with her family in a remote farmhouse, with a view to Lake Constance and the Alps. She works, alternating between two studios (one for painting and one for printmaking) with a focus on painting.

Heidrun Rathgeb studied painting in London at the Slade School of Fine Art (MFA) 1996-99 and the Byam Shaw School of Art (1993-96). After a year and a half of living and painting on Dartmoor, she decided to move back to southern Germany.

Her work is based on experiences of specific moments in daily life. Small sketchbooks always at hand, Heidrun Rathgeb incessantly captures her surrounding environment in drawings. These drawings then form the source for her paintings and prints. Her work is not narrative in a sense of telling stories, but rather reflects on glimpses of life, like a Haiku would do. The small scale of her work allows the viewer to connect with its quiet presence. Most of her painting is done in egg tempera on panels carefully primed with layers of gesso.

Her travels, including an extensive period of cycling through Italy, has been formative to her work. Her work is inspired by Paula Modersohn-Becker, Morandi, Bonnard, Klee, Munch, Winifred Nicolson, Edvard Hopper, Charlotte Salomon, amongst many other artists.

In recent years she has been awarded several artist residencies in Scotland (Isle of Lewis), Denmark and Norway. She has two forthcoming solo exhibitions, in March 2023 at 532 Gallery Thomas Jaeckel, NY and in December 2023 with John Martin Gallery, London.