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Rudolf Kosow

German, Kazakhstani, b. 1972

Like images from a dream, Rudolf Kosow’s Surrealist figurative and still-life paintings and drawings conjure into reality otherworldly and absurdist scenes.

Kosow was born in 1972 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan. From 1994 to 2000, he studied painting at the city’s State Academy of Fine Arts.

Now based in Germany, he divides his time between Stuttgart and the town of Laichingen. He creates oil paintings based on three subjects: humans, animals and landscapes. He invites the viewer to interpret each work’s enigmatic message. For instance, in Contact, an astronaut is seemingly unaware of a colossal cat’s peering eye. In Missing Pieces, Kosow depicts a couple considering the whereabouts of slices taken from a giant Black Forest cake.

Kosow also explores the nature of human relationships in his portraits, such as Couple and Discord. Capture features a large-scale image of a sleeping girl juxtaposed with a miniature soldier standing guard. 

“I try to paint things as realistically and as close as possible to enhance the real impression,” Kosow says in his artist’s statement. Although the imagery in his paintings and figurative drawings can be strange and somewhat unsettling, Kosow’s unique interplay of light and shadow creates a sense of “calm, harmony and peace.” 

Kosow has exhibited across Germany and France. His works are sought by collectors of 21st-century Surrealist art.

On 1stDibs, find a range of Rudolf Kosow’s paintings, drawings and more.

Average Sold Price
$2,043
Styles
Materials
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Vicious Circle (donut cake lady dessert americana vintage surreal painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
A hyperrealistic doughnut dominates Vicious Circle, its glossy chocolate glaze reflecting light with mouthwatering precision. Seated atop it, a young woman in a vintage swimsuit appe...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Bobby' Nightmare (pug dog face helicopter vintage surreal oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Bobby's Nightmare" by Rudolf Kosow is a striking blend of humor and surrealism, juxtaposing an exaggeratedly expressive pug with an intense military scene. The dog's bulging eyes, lolling tongue, and shocked expression contrast sharply with the highly detailed helicopter and soldiers descending from the sky, creating an absurd and unexpected composition. The painting plays on the idea of a pet's anxiety, turning an ordinary moment of canine surprise into an action-packed, almost cinematic spectacle. The hyperrealistic rendering of the pug’s fur and facial details enhances the surrealism, making the implausible scene feel eerily convincing. With its mix of realism and whimsy, Bobby’s Nightmare captures the chaotic energy of an overactive imagination—whether that of a dog startled by its surroundings or a playful human interpretation of a pet’s exaggerated emotions. keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, americana...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Holding Leather Bag (Brown leather bag surréaliste oil painting vintage dark)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe bold original painting on canvas depicting the vivid portrait of a red boxing glove held by an anonymous figure in a coat. keywords; boxing glove, red glove, Brown coat, ame...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Here Too, Isn’t It George (surreal painting vintage crack in the blue sky grass)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Two men dressed in early 20th-century garb crouch across a fractured path, peering intently into a massive rupture that tears through both the earth and the sky. They appear to be ex...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Soulmates (brown pet dog, lady, vintage, animal, surrealist oil painting)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Soulmates," a poignant work by Rudolf Kosow, tenderly illustrates the profound bond shared between a dog and a human. In this intimate portrayal, the dog's gaze is imbued with an emotional depth that transcends the boundaries between species. Its eyes, rendered with striking clarity, convey a world of understanding and companionship. The lady, is nestled against the dog's face in a pose that suggests a mutual trust and shared existence. This closeness speaks to a relationship that goes beyond the conventional pet-owner dynamic, hinting at a deeper, spiritual connection—a true meeting of souls. In Kosow's vision, the concept of soulmates expands, encompassing the idea that our most understanding and compassionate partners may not be human at all. The painting's title, "Soulmates," encapsulates the notion that kindred spirits are connected not by words, but by the heart and soul, through gestures of love and moments of silent understanding. With "Soulmates," Kosow invites us to contemplate the essence of connection and the forms it can take. It's a celebration of the unspoken bond that animals and humans can share, an acknowledgment that the purest forms of love and understanding sometimes require no language. This piece serves as a beautiful reminder of the loyalty, comfort, and unconditional acceptance that define the most precious of life's relationships. keywords; painting on canvas, surrealist painting, animal vs human, americana, nature, man, man vs nature, surrealism, giant animal...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Reunited (monkeys orangutans iceberg arctic surrealist oil painting light blue)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
Superbe original painting on canvas depicting a pair of orangutans cuddling on top of a small iceberg. keywords; americana, surrealism, monkey, iceberg, vintage, oil painting, anima...
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Fragment 9 (dreamy woman back skin female figurative painting soft Earth tones)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
"Fragment 9" by Rudolf Kosow is a striking miniature painting that employs a minimalist yet impactful use of color and form to convey deep emotional and psychological states. The art...
Category

2010s Post-Impressionist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic, Wood Panel

Phenomenon II (oil painting surrealist cat paws men vintage clothing nostalgia)
By Rudolf Kosow
Located in Quebec, Quebec
People encounter a domestic animal that is commonplace and familiar, but the disproportionate scale creates fascination, fright and this perspective renders the human speechless. Similar to the satirical novel "Gulliver's Travels", people are confronted with an inexplicable encounter and do not know how to react to it. Is the situation perplexing because a dog is huge, just taking a nap and does not notice the people around it, or are humans too tiny and do not recognize their "absurd" existence? keywords; surrealism, animals, cat, oil painting, earth tones, figurative painting, strangeness, contemporary surrealistic, unsettling, contemporary figurative painting, dreams, symbolic composition, cat paw
Category

2010s Surrealist Rudolf Kosow

Materials

Canvas, Oil

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Rudolf Kosow Sale Prices

Sold DateSold PriceCategoryMediumCreation Year
2025$3,000Landscape Paintings, Figurative PaintingsOil Paint, Canvas2020
2025$1,000Figurative Paintings, Nude PaintingsOil Paint, Canvas, Acrylic Paint, Wood Panel2024
2025$1,200Figurative Paintings, Nude PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint, Acrylic Paint, Wood Panel2024
2025$5,000Figurative Paintings, Animal PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2018
2025$3,100Landscape Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2023
2025$2,790Animal Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2025
2025$800Nude Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint, Acrylic Paint, Wood Panel2024
2024$1,100Animal Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2024
2024$3,300Landscape Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2020
2024$2,500Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2024
2024$960Figurative Paintings, Animal PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2024
2024$1,000Animal Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2024
2024$700Animal Paintings, Figurative PaintingsCanvas, Oil Paint2024
$2,043
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months
$700-$5,000
Sold price range of items in the past 12 months

Artists Similar to Rudolf Kosow

Rudolf Kosow art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Rudolf Kosow art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of blue, orange, purple and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Rudolf Kosow in oil paint, paint, canvas and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Rudolf Kosow art, so small editions measuring 12 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Valton Tyler, Henry David Potwin, and Joseph Broghammer. Rudolf Kosow art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $503 and tops out at $10,000, while the average work can sell for $4,863.

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