In the bronze sculpture “Der Ergründer” (“The Investigator”), Neo Rauch transfers his enigmatic world of figures into three-dimensional space. The sculpture depicts a figure bearing the artist’s own facial features, whose activity – investigating, searching, and examining – remains suspended, much like the paradoxical situations found in his paintings. In this work, Rauch’s characteristic tension between meaning and irresolution emerges once again. The figure carries a flaming backpack, a motif that also appears in the opera “Lohengrin”, staged by Neo Rauch in Bayreuth. The sculpture was produced in an edition of 30 numbered copies and 10 artist’s proofs (AP). This example is from the numbered edition. It is signed, dated, numbered, and bears the foundry stamp.