Martin Kippenberger
(1953-1997)
Martin Kippenberger was born in Dortmund, Germany in 1953. An extremely prolific artist, Kippenberger worked in multiple mediums including painting, sculpture, installation, drawing, posters, photography and collage. Kippenberger was influenced early on by the work of Sigmar Polke and Gerhard Richter. Through the years, he developed a diverse style that did not shy away from caustic political commentary. His harsh criticism of the artistic status quo and daily life issues became evident through provocative imagery and recurring motifs that in many cases represented the artist himself and aimed at shocking and disturbing the viewer. Kippenberger’s caustic and humorous works call into question the artist’s role within society and culture at large, as well as deeper issues of general culture and humanity. His famous Zuerst die Füsse (Feet First) from 1990, a self-mocking sculpture of a crucified frog with an egg and a beer mug, was created in response to harsh criticism that the artist received in an art publication. This unrestrained, bountiful commentary about the world around him is what makes Kippenberger’s oeuvre so powerful and compelling.
Both within his life, and since his passing, Martin Kippenberger’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States and Europe. Recent solo exhibitions have been held in institutions such as the Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn in 2019, Bank Austria Kunstforum in Vienna in 2016, theHamburger Bahnhof, Museum für Gegenwart, Berlin in 2013, the Picasso Museum in Málaga, 2011, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 2008-2009, the Tate Modern in London and the K21 Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf in 2006, the Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig in Vienna, the VanAbbe Museum in Eindloven and the Museum für Neue Kunst in Karlsruhe and at the Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen in 2003.Martin Kippenberger died in Vienna in 1997.
Skarstedt Gallery, New York is the official representative of the Estate of Martin Kippenberger in the U.S. in collaboration with Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne.
