As part of the first generation since reunification, the Leipzig painter Neo Rauch (born in 1960) has taken up the challenge of the tensions inherent in contemporary German painting. In his work, citations of Pop art and abstract painting meet with elements of Neue Sachlichkeit and classical figuration. The result is a Chinese box filled with samples of many of the artistic trends of this century. But Rauch's constructions, rather than seeming labored, come across as humorous and refined.

His recent works heavily reference the working world, in the guise of machine shops, gas stations, offices,