Michael Krebber

Michael Krebber (born 1954) is a German painter known for his conceptual approach, often characterized by an emphasis on the medium's limitations, an engagement with art historical references, interest in painting's relevance and persistence in contemporary art, and a tendency toward minimal gestures.

Early life and education Michael Krebber was born on 26 April 1954 in Cologne, a city that played a significant role in post-war avant-garde art movements.

Krebber studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Krebber was significantly influenced by his time as an assistant to the German painter Martin Kippenberger, whose artistic approach resonated with Krebber's later explorations of art-making and anti-art tendencies. However, while Kippenberger often embraced excess and provocation, Krebber's approach tends to be more subdued, relying on absence, restraint, and strategic withholding.

Work Krebber is an artist creating conceptual paintings and works on paper. Rather than adhering to a signature style or thematic consistency, his oeuvre is marked by strategic inconsistencies and a self-aware approach to artistic production. He frequently employs minimal marks, sparse compositions, and seemingly unfinished gestures, prompting discussions about the purpose and boundaries of painting.

Krebber's work is often described as an intellectual and critical engagement with painting.

A key aspect of Krebber's work is his rejection of traditional painterly skill, often incorporating invoking themes of doubt, irony, and disengagement. His paintings frequently contain large areas of unpainted canvas, delicate brushstrokes, or seemingly arbitrary marks, emphasising the idea of painting as a conceptual exercise rather than a purely aesthetic endeavour. This has led critics and scholars to categorise his work within the broader context of "deskilled" painting—a term referring to an intentional avoidance of technical mastery in favor of conceptual rigor.

Reception His work has elicited varied interpretations, with some viewing his work as a critique of artistic commodification and others as an intellectual game that resists definitive meaning.

Influence Krebber's work influenced the "zombie formalism" debate—a term used to critique the revival of abstract painting for commercial purposes without deep conceptual engagement. His practice has been said to question the necessity of painting while continuing to practice it, making his work an important reference for artists grappling with the medium's relevance in the 21st century.

His influence is particularly evident in younger painters who challenge the boundaries of the medium through conceptual frameworks and self-referential gestures.

Krebber is a professor at the Städelschule in Frankfurt.

Exhibitions Michael Krebber has exhibited in Europe and the United States.

Solo

Public collections Aïshti Foundation, Jal El Dib, Lebanon Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Bern Art Museum, Bern, Switzerland Centre Pompidou, Paris, France Hamburger Bahnhof, Hamburg, Germany CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain, Bordeaux, France Museum Brandhorst, Munich, Germany Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

Publications Michael Krebber, Catalogue Raisonné, Volume 1, Ed. Sanchez, Michael, Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther und Franz König, Köln, Germany, 2022 Michael Krebber, The Living Wedge, Part I & II, Serralves, Porto, Portugal; Kunsthalle Bern, Bern, Switzerland, 2017 Michael Krebber, Les escargots ridiculisés, The ridiculized snails,CAPC musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux, 2012 Respekt Frischlinge Je Suis La Chaise London Condom, Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Galerie Chantal Crousel and Maureen Paley, 2008 Michael Krebber: Puberty in Teaching, Buchhandlung Walther Konig GmbH & Co, 2008 Michael Krebber, Secession / Verlag der Buchhandlung Walther König, Köln, 2005 Michael Krebber, Kunstverein Braunschweig / Städtische Galerie Wolfsburg, 2000

Awards

2015 – Wolfgang Hahn Prize, Museum Ludwig

Personal life Krebber lives in Cologne with his wife, artist Cosima von Bonin.