KeF! Set To Unveil New Mediums On This Weekend’s Fine Art Auction

By Thomas Leturgey

Simon Rohlen continues a whirlwind of activity. The urban artist from Germany best known as KeF! recently painted a rooftop in Hong Kong, a Porsche in France and BMW in Tampa, is set to Atlanta’s Fine Art Auction this weekend.

Mark Bronson, the veteran Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Fitzhugh Holdings LLC, the parent company of the industry-leading Fine Art Auction, attended an event with the superstar on Friday afternoon at the legendary Jon Nathaniel Wines in Napa Valley. The artist is collaborating with the vintage wine maker to create labels brandishing his trademark design.

Rohlen will then fly across country to the Peachtree State and meet with distinguished Fine Art host Richard English and others on Saturday, April 5. Bronson notes that excitement is running high as KeF! is to introduce two works of art in a new medium. There’s even some nail biting, as Bronson reports that the artwork in question is to also travel across country. “There have been tornadoes,” he said. Roland will return to the studio on Sunday, where the incomparable Ray Taylor holds down the fort for art lovers of all experiences.

That means fans will have to tune in to see if both works arrive on time for their debut.

Those are just two of the surprises for lovers of Fine Art this weekend. Bronson won’t identify what medium KeF! will debut. “It’s only been in museum shows so far,” he teases. “Collectors will love it.”

Rohlen entertained art lovers in Tampa on March 21 when he wrapped a BMW i7 in black and gold bold strokes to final details. “This fusion of luxury and street art is officially complete,” exclaimed BMW Tampa on Instagram. It was a nice compliment to the white, black and blue Porshe a little over a year ago in France.

He painted Louis Vuitton handbags as well as canvases, walls, furniture, clothing and other accessories. For his part, Roland extolls “Harmony and Serenity” as inspirations for his work. “It expresses my inner life,” he has said. It’s a way he “disconnects from the materialistic world.”

KeF! has touched a favorable nerve with fans, Bronson says. Collectors who have more than 100 of his works will travel “hundreds of miles” just to meet the urban artist who has been compared to Banksy. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Bronson says.

And he should know. A 40-year Fine Art insider, Bronson was one of the innovators of selling art while on cruise ships. “It’s a staple now,” he continued. He’s been with Fitzhugh and The Fine Art Auction since 2018. Times are “challenging” now, he says. However, with live venues like The Fine Art Auction and its affable hosts, seasoned collectors and novice art lovers can share the experience together. “Our hosts are great storytellers,” he said.

English and Taylor will present a diverse list of stellar arts, from Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso to the likes of young artists like Pedro Ortiz Munoz and the second-generation prodigy Sarah Wall, who quickly sold out her Fine Art Auction inventory on her way to an impressive major contract.

Renowned artist Lisa Mee is set to return to the Fine Art Auction soon and “Supernova” wildlife painter Ashley Rader is set to appear on the show. A hometown Atlanta product, Rader “brings nature’s most magnificent creatures to life” from her Buford, Georgia studio. “We are able to turn a lot of people onto the art world,” Bronson adds. “It’s an opportunity to buy some of the best art in the world.”

Simon Rohlen, aka, KeF! returns Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6 at 7 p.m. on the Fine Art Auction, which is available on TV, YouTube and via social media.