Biography
Born in Dortmund in 1953, Martin Kippenberger appeared as a painter, illustration and performance artist as well as a sculptor. After abandoning an apprenticeship as a decorator, Kippenberger studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Hamburg from 1972-1976. In 1978, together with the gallery owner Gisela Capitain, he founded "Kippenbergers Büro" in Berlin, an exhibition venue for young artists. Posters and flyers were created for these exhibitions as part of the artistic work. Since the posters are by now renowned artists such as Rosemarie Trockel, Jeff Koons or Louise Lawler, they are still shown in museums today. At the same time, he worked as the manager of the event location S.O. 36, a punk meeting place, where Kippenberger designed posters for concerts as individual pieces. In 1981 he moved to Paris to devote himself to writing and also worked as an artist. In the early 1990s, he took on a guest professorship in Frankfurt and lectured at universities in America, France and Holland. Kippenberger was a participant in documenta IX and X. His work can be counted among the 'Neue Wilden'. In the tradition of Dada and Fluxus, Kippenberger strove to question and dismantle the classical definition of art through mockery and, above all, provocation. His best-known and most controversial work is probably „Feet First" from 1990, which depicts a crucified frog. Kippenberger died in Vienna in 1997.
