Alan Bee is the pseudonym of a prominent artistic figure who over the years has passionately and wittily constructed his own well-rounded persona, giving him not only a name but providing him with a series of plausible biographical suggestions that are entirely compatible with the physical body of his works: from his fascination with German art, Beuys and Schumacher in the lead, to his specific passion for the natural world, of which bees are one of the universal symbols.
The complex of his works, conspicuous and of a high standard, makes Alan Bee a major figure in the European art scene of recent decades.
The biographical information about him is not first-hand, but it all comes from what can be inferred from the vicissitudes of his work: Bee forged his own figure almost narratively, which allowed him to draw a solid veil of mystery over his real personality.
The real, most certain fact is the world of his works, and based on that it is unquestionable that we are talking about a primary European author, able to place himself in the circle of those of the post-informal season who have advanced along a primary path of contemporary painting.
Bee's passion for painting has always been accompanied by that for bees and their world: a lover of the nature of Bavaria, influenced at a young age by Joseph Beuys's experiences with honey, he mediated them with a deep sense of materials and object insertions as well as Carl Buchheister, fundamental Emil Schumacher, with whom Bee had to deepen in Karslruhe, and Bernard Schulze, who preached in painting, drawing from them quite astonishing results.
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