Martin Kippenberger

Martin Kippenberger (1953–1997) lived an excessive and short life. As the enfant terrible of the art scene, he created an extensive body of work in just under 30 years, ranging from paintings, prints and photographs to objects, installations and performances, as well as exhibition and book projects.

He studied at the Hamburg Art Academy, but after dropping out, he first went to Florence and then to Berlin in 1978, where he founded the ‘Kippenberger Büro,’ a 600-square-metre loft, the club “SO36” and the punk band ‘Gruga.’ In 1983, he moved to Cologne, from where he travelled the world and accepted visiting professorships in Frankfurt, Kassel, Nice, Amsterdam and at Yale University.

He was not exhibited posthumously until 2003 at the Biennale di Venezia in the German Pavilion. In 1996, he merely strutted in front of the German Pavilion in Venice wearing a black coat. The poster for this event was published by Edition Artelier.