Colorful and criticized: Star painter Leon Löwentraut

Leon Löwentraut is considered to be an up-and-coming star in the German and international art scene. His style can be described as "Picasso, only more colorful." Only 23 years old, he has already had gallery exhibitions in Singapore, New York and Berlin. Most recently, his works could be seen in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana in Venice and the Kunstforum in Vienna.

Now, the Bavarian National Museum in Munich is showing his work in the exhibition "Leonismo," curated by Manfred Möller, of the art publishing company Edition Minerva. The central motif of the exhibition is this painting by Löwentraut, entitled "Peace of Mind."

Löwentraut's works can be intensely colorful, such as this one above. His style has earned him an enthusiastic following among young audiences. He has around 220,000 followers on Instagram, where he also posts selfies, such as a shot of him and his role model Georg Baselitz, a famous German visual artist.

Faces, often highly abstracted, are the focus of Löwentraut's recent works, like the above. As well-loved as he is by young audiences and social media users, he rubs much of the art industry the wrong way. Many contend that he only paints works for hotel lobbies, not "real art." His unbending will to succeed and his self-profiling also come off as an affront.

In this painting, Löwentraut takes on baroque Spanish court painter Diego Velazquez's use of form while still maintaining color intensity. According to Frank Matthias Kammel, the director of the Bavarian National Museum, Löwentraut's works bring "color into the 'sacred halls' of the Bavarian National Museum."

Despite the focus on faces, Löwentraut also incorporates abstract elements, such as in this painting, called "Apache." He has said he prefers painting to loud music; he has even called himself an "action painter." His paintings have been sold for up to €70,000 ($82,400) in galleries.

This painting, titled "Lonely," is highly abstracted. It is also part of the "Leonismo" exhibition in the Bavarian National Museum. The show runs from August 28 through September 26 in Munich.

Last year, the German edition of Forbes magazine selected Löwentraut for its "30 under 30" — a list of individuals under 30 years of age who are shaping society. A major factor was his commitment to sustainability, such as through his mobile work "Global Gate" (above), which reminds viewers of the United Nations' sustainability goals. It was on display through this past May at Frankfurt Airport.