Steve McQueen 🟢

This early palette knife portrait of Steve McQueen represents a pivotal moment in Peter Engels’ career, created during his first explorations with the spatula technique that would later become his signature.

Painted aboard a yacht in Majorca, the 80 × 60 cm canvas captures the legendary actor in close-up, head turned toward the viewer, cinematic, magnetic, and filled with presence. The monochrome tones and tactile texture highlight both McQueen’s rugged charisma and Engels’ growing mastery of palette knife painting.

A rare transitional piece, this work reveals the shift from brush to knife, raw, bold, and filled with artistic discovery. It reflects Engels’ fascination with icons who embodied individuality and cinematic cool.

For collectors, this Steve McQueen, Early Palette Knife Portrait, is both a tribute to the “King of Cool” and a landmark in Engels’ evolution as one of today’s most distinctive figurative artists.