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Primates of Art (2023)

Technology

Painting - oil on canvas

creative year

2023

Number of works

Buy Hand Painted Multiples and Fine Art Prints

shop.josefmaier.at

This series is a humorous yet critical exploration of our evolutionary heritage and the role of the artist in today's system. The works combine animal archetypes with social self-reflection.

Further works are available upon request – from May 1, 2025, exclusively for members of the Collectors Circle or through selected galleries.

Hand-painted multiples and limited fine art editions are available separately at: shop.josefmaier.at

Ironic figure painting by Josef Daniel Maier – satirical portrait of an art expert as an anthropomorphic monkey, oil on canvas, 120×120cm.

The expert

120×120cm
Oil on canvas
Authority meets absurdity – an ironic look at gender roles. Who do we follow – and why?

The bartender

120×120cm
Oil on canvas

Between the bar and the theater – a calming center amidst the currents of emotion.
What do listening hands reveal?

🔴 Sold – Private Collection (Austria)

The Gangster

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Concealed, focused, controlling – a game of power and disguise.
Who is his gaze directed at – and what remains hidden?

The Serene One
"A supportive gaze, a calm posture – a staging of pause in chaos. Oil on canvas, 100×80cm."

The Calm One

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Leaning, listening, detached – the art of being without pressure.
What happens when we don't have to do anything?

Work by Josef Daniel Maier from the series ‘Primates of Art’ – dominant monkey figure in a royal pose, oil on canvas, 100×80cm.

The King

100×80cm
Oil on canvas
Power, gesture, exaltation – between the need for recognition and self-doubt. What remains when the crown falls?

The surgeon

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Focus, responsibility, fragility – the sterile setting as a stage.
What does precision mean when lives are at stake?

The pensioner

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Reclining in the red armchair – an interim assessment of an existence.
What happens when the stage calls, but no one claps?

The Player

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Charm, calculation, body language – a monkey in a tailored suit of self-dramatization.
Who's playing along – and who's being played?

Character study of a provocative primate – painting by Josef Daniel Maier, oil on canvas, 100×80cm.

The Arsonist

100×80cm
Oil on canvas
Provocation as a pose – direct, raw, exaggerated. What happens when play becomes explosive?
🔴 Sold – Private Collection (Austria)

The Raver

100×80cm
Oil on canvas

Neon colors, beat, outburst – ecstasy as an expression of inner freedom.

What if silence is louder than any bass?

🔴 Sold – Private Collection (Austria)

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