About Peter Zimmermann
Born 1956. Peter Zimmermann is a German sculptor, painter, university teacher and object artist.
Peter Zimmermann (born 1956 in Freiburg im Breisgau) is a German painter, sculptor, object artist and university professor.
Life and education Peter Zimmermann studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart from 1978 to 1983. Since then he has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums both within Germany and abroad. He works as a painter, sculptor and object artist. He was a professor at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne between 2002 and 2007.
Work Zimmermann's work is extremely diverse. At the end of the 1980s he created his "Book Cover Paintings," in which the covers and titles of atlases, art books, travel guides and dictionaries were represented on canvas using epoxy. Through his cardboard objects he works with the spatial distortion of the written word and thus questions the relationship between text and image. The colourful motives in his epoxy resin images arise from digital templates, such as photos, film stills or diagrams, which he distorts by means of graphical algorithms and transfers onto the canvas in numerous transparent layers of epoxy resin. Since 2014 he has increasingly realised this conceptual approach through the medium of oil painting. Questions concerning the relationship between the original and its depiction as well as an engagement with the concept of the surface lie at the centre of his creative output. Zimmermann's work is to be found in numerous private and public collections, for example the Bundeskunstsammlung in Bonn, Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist lives and works in Cologne.
Exhibitions
solo exhibitions (selection) 2016: Museum für neue Kunst, Freiburg, Germany 2016: Museum gegenstandsfeier Kunst, Otterndorf, Germany 2015: CMYK, dirimart Gallery Istanbul, Turkey 2015: Nunu Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan 2014: sur le motif, Gallery Perrotin, Paris, France 2013: Undertones, Wasserman Projects, Detroit, United States of America 2013: Johyun Gallery Busan, Korea 2013: crystal & fruits, Gallery Michael Janssen, Singapore 2012: Galeria Filomena Soares, Lisbon, Portugal 2012: drop, Gallery Perrotin, Hong Kong 2011: Panorama, Kunstforum and Kunstverein Schwäbisch Hall, Germany 2009: Museum Moderner Kunst Kärnten, Klagenfurt, Germany 2008: currents, cma, Columbus Museum of Art, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America 2007/2008: wheel. Kunsthalle Nürnberg, Germany 2006: Capas de gelatina / Layers of jelly, Centro de Arte Contemporáneo, Málaga, Spain 2004: Before After. Delaware Center of Contemporary Art, Delaware, United States of America 2003: x-pollination. with Claus Carstensen, Esbjerg Kunstmuseum, Denmark 2002: Zipp, Kasseler Kunstverein, Kassel, Germany 2001: Flow, Kunstverein Heilbronn, Germany 2001: Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany 1998: Eigentlich könnte alles auch anders sein, Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne, Germany 1998: "Kisten & Plakate", Städtische Galerie Donaueschingen, Germany 1997: Otto-Dix-Haus, Gera, Germany 1996: "Remixes", Icebox, Athens, Greece 1996: "Öffentlich / Privat" (with Thomas Locher), Kunstraum der Universität Lüneburg and Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Germany 1992: Kunstverein Münster, Germany
group exhibitions (selection) 2013: To Open Eyes – Kunst und Textil vom Bauhaus bis heute, Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany 2013: Happy Birthday, Gallery Perrotin / 25 Years, Tripostal, Lille, France 2012: The slide show, FRAC Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France 2011: Farbe im Fluß, Weserburg Museum für moderne Kunst, Bremen, Germany 2011: Hirschfaktor "Die Kunst des Zitierens" ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany 2009: Reloaded, Kunstmuseum Bonn 2009: Extended, ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany 2008: There is Desire left (Knock, knock) Werke aus der Sammlung Mondstudio, Museum Wiesbaden, Germany 2008: Vetrautes Terrain. Aktuelle Kunst in & über Deutschland – collector's choice, ZKM, Museum für Neue Kunst, Karlsruhe, Germany 2007: Moscow Biennale 2006: Wilhelm-Hack-Museum Ludwigshafen, Germany 2005: Museum der Moderne Salzburg. Rupertinum, Austria 2003: Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart, Germany 2003: Morsbroich Museum, Leverkusen, Germany 2002: Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt, Frankfurt/M 2002: Deichtorhallen, Hamburg, Germany
Public Collections Fonds National d'Art Contemporain, Paris, France Fondation Cartier Pour l'Art Contemporain, Paris, France Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France Musée d'Art moderne de Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne, France FRAC Languedoc-Roussillon, France Centre Georges Pompidou (Amis du musée national d'Art moderne), France FRAC Aquitaine, France Filmoteca universitaria de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain Museum of Modern Art, New York, United States of America New York Public Library, New York, United States of America Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, France New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, New Orleans, United States of America Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Cologne, Germany Neue Galerie, Graz, Austria Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, United States of America Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, Germany Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Germany LB Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Bibliography Publications
Books, Catalogues Museum für Neue Kunst Freiburg: Peter Zimmermann – Schule von Freiburg. (German and English), SNOECK, Freiburg 2016. Galerie Perrotin: Peter Zimmermann. (English and Chinese), Damiani editore, Paris 2013. Andrea Madesta: Peter Zimmermann – Works since 1987 (German, English and French), Snoeck Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Cologne 2009. Ellen Seifermann (Herausgeber): Peter Zimmermann. wheel. (German and English). Verlag für moderne Kunst, Nürnberg 2007. Hubertus Butin: Peter Zimmermann. Painting. Hatje Cantz, Ostfildern 2007. Peter Zimmermann: Epoxiology. (German, English and French). König, Cologne 2006. Stephan Berg: Peter Zimmermann. capas de gelatina. (English and Spanish). Centro de Arte, Málaga 2006. Jens Schröter: Peter Zimmermann. Kunsthalle Erfurt, Erfurt 2001 Tom Holert: Peter Zimmermann. Flow. König, Cologne 2001. Peter Zimmermann: Skandal: Kunst. Springer, Vienna and New York 2000. Peter Zimmermann: Eigentlich könnte alles auch anders sein. König, Köln 1998.
Secondary Literature Harald Uhr:: "Painting versus. Plasma Flatscreen – A portrait by Harald Uhr", Artblog Cologne Margrit Brehm: The Reflection of Surfaces. Die Reflexion der Oberflächen. La réflexion des surfaces. In: Peter Zimmermann. Epoxiology. Walther Konig, Cologne 2007, Margit Zuckriegl: Peter Zimmermann. Die Gedanken der Bilder. The thoughts of pictures. In: Vom Bild zum Bild. Metamorphose. Museum der Moderne Salzburg. Rupertinum. Salzburg 2005, S. 42–47 Ralf Christofori: Kopfsprung in den Signalfluß. In: FAZ, 30 August 2001 Hans-Jürgen August: Erregung kollektiven Lustgefühls. In: Wiener Zeitung, 1 December 2001 Astrid Wege: Peter Zimmermann. In: Art – Das Kunstmagazin Artis. December 1996 Franz Kotteder: Heimwerkers Alptraum. In: SZ 7 March 1996
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Important facts
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Frequently asked questions
Who is Peter Zimmermann?
German sculptor and painter (born 1956)
When was Peter Zimmermann born?
Peter Zimmermann was born in 1956 in Freiburg im Breisgau.
What is Peter Zimmermann's occupation?
Peter Zimmermann is a sculptor, painter, university teacher and object artist.
What nationality is Peter Zimmermann?
Peter Zimmermann is German.
Sources & further reading
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APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Peter Zimmermann. https://biography.guide/peter-zimmermann/
MLA: "Peter Zimmermann." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/peter-zimmermann/.
Chicago: "Peter Zimmermann." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/peter-zimmermann/.
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