Michael Krebber

Michael Krebber
Born (1954-04-26) 26 April 1954 (age 72)
Cologne, Germany
EducationKunstakademie Düsseldorf
Known forPainting
SpouseCosima von Bonin

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for his conceptual approach, often characterized by an emphasis on the medium's limitations, an engagement with art historical references, interest in painting's relevance and persistence in contemporary art, and a tendency toward minimal gestures.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

Year Title Institution Location Country Ref
1993 Parallax View: New York-Köln MoMA PS1 New York, NY USA
1997 Villa Arson Nice Italy
2000 Wolfsburg Municipal Gallery Wolfsburg Germany
Braunschweig Art Association Braunschweig
2005 Secession Vienna Austria
2008 Kölnischer Kunstverein Cologne Germany
2012 CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain Bordeaux France
2015 Museum Ludwig Cologne Germany
2016 Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art Porto Portugal
2017 Kunsthalle Bern Switzerland
2019 Museum Brandhorst Munich Germany
2021 Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare Bolzano Italy
2023 Esprit de Corps Galerie Buchholz Cologne Germany
2024 Michael Krebber Greene Naftali New York, NY USA

Public collections

Publications

Awards

Personal life

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Michael Krebber - Biography". greenenaftali.com. Greene Naftali Gallery. 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  2. ↑ "The ridiculized snails". lespressesdureel.com. Les Presses du Reel. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  3. 1 2 Butler, Sharon (20 December 2013). "Michael Krebber Update". twocoatsofpaint.com. Two Coats of Paint. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. ↑ Sam, Sherman (Summer 2017). "Michael Krebber: Kunsthalle Bern" (PDF). artforum.com. Artforum Magazine. pp. 375–76. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Walczak, Antek (10 November 2011). "Michael Krebber's "C-A-N-V-A-S, Uhutrust, Jerry Magoo, and guardian.co.uk Paintings"". e-flux.com. e-flux. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Butler, Sharon (13 January 2022). "Michael Krebber: The poetry in painting?". twocoatsofpaint.com. Two Coats of Paint. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. ↑ "Michael Krebber: London Projects, 1994". marcjancou.com. Marc Jancou. 1 January 1994. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  8. ↑ Morton, Tom (6 February 2013). "Nobody's Fool". frieze.com. Frieze. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  9. ↑ Applin, Jo (25 September 2023). "Michael Krebber". artforum.com. Artforum. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Esprit de Corps". galeriebuchholz.de. Galerie Buchholz. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  11. ↑ Birnbaum, Daniel; Kelsey, John; Morgan, Jessica (1 October 2005). "Man without Qualities: The Art of Michael Krebber". artforum.com. Artforum Magazine (via Mutual Arts). Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  12. ↑ "Michael Krebber, Albert Oehlen: Works on Works on Paper". drawingsandnotes.com. Cultured Magazine. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  13. ↑ Block, Louis (December 2021). "Michael Krebber: New Work". brooklynrail.org. Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  14. ↑ "Michael Krebber – Studiofloor and Diamond Paintings". the360mag.com. 360 Magazine. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Butler, Sharon (7 May 2009). "The impossibility of painting and the equally persistent impossibility of not painting". twocoatsofpaint.com. Two Coats of Paint. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  16. ↑ Gronemeyer, Wiebke (December 2007). "Michael Krebber @ Maureen Paley". whitehotmagazine.com. Whitehot Magazine. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "Michael Krebber: The Living Wedge - Announcements - e-flux". e-flux.com. e-flux. 15 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Searle, Adrian (24 September 2001). "Never trust a painter". theguardian.com. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  19. 1 2 3 Tarmy, James (15 December 2017). "Why Haven't You Heard of This Artist That Investors Love?". bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Bishop, Brian (16 June 2014). "Painting in Retrograde". bigredandshiny.org. Big Red and Shiny, Inc. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Michael Krebber at Maureen Paley". elephant.art. Elephant Ephemera Ltd. 7 September 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "In Bolzano, the first exhibition of Michael Krebber, an important contemporary German artist". finestresullarte.info. Redazione. 9 June 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  23. ↑ Brunner, Bettina (2 March 2008). "Michael Krebber". frieze.com. Frieze. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ↑ Mclean-Ferris, Laura (3 July 2023). "Michael Krebber". frieze.com. Frieze. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  25. ↑ Bowman, Matthew (17 December 2018). "Indiscernibly Bad: The Problem of Bad Painting/Good Art". Oxford Art Journal. 41 (3): 321–339. doi:10.1093/oxartj/kcy017. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Rubenstein, Raphael (1 May 2009). "Provisional Painting". artinamerica.com. Art in America. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  27. ↑ Saltz, Jerry (13 November 2015). "The Malignant Influence of Michael Krebber: How Early-'00s Abstraction Gave Way to Zombie Formalism". vulture.com. Vox Media Network. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  28. 1 2 3 de Bellis, Vincenzo (29 May 2021). "Michael Krebber – Studiofloor and Diamond Paintings\". staedelschule.de. Villa Arson, Nice. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  29. ↑ Bienstock, Alex (1 February 2019). "Provisional Painting". artnews.com. Artnews. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  30. ↑ Forbes, Alexander (22 April 2025). "Wolfgang Hahn Prize Winners R.H. Quaytman and Michael Krebber Show Polke's Lasting Influence". artsy.com. Artsy. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  31. ↑ "Michael Krebber". meer.com. Meer. 23 August 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  32. ↑ Rottmann, André (November 2010). "Michael Krebber". artforum.com. Artforum. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  33. ↑ "Michael Krebber". meer.com. Meer. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  34. ↑ "Why Does So Much Art Right Now Look Like a Mess? Our Critic Investigates". culturedmag.com. Cultured Magazine. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  35. 1 2 "Michael Krebber: Miami City Ballet". galeriebuchholz.de. Galerie Buchholz. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  36. 1 2 "Parallax View: New York-Köln". moma.org. The Museum of Modern Art. 18 April 1993. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  37. ↑ Bourel, Michel (28 March 1997). "Michael Krebber". villa-arson.fr. Villa Arson, Nice. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  38. ↑ "Michael Krebber". kunstmuseum.de. Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. 2000. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
  39. 1 2 "Michael Krebber: 'Apothekerman' (ex. cat.), Kunstverein Braunschweig / Städtische". kunstvereinbraunschweig.de. Galerie Wolfsburg. 12 March 2000. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  40. 1 2 "Michael Krebber: 7.7. – 4.9.2005". secession.at. Association of Visual Artists Vienna Secession. 7 July 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  41. 1 2 Hoderlein, Stefan (21 June 2008). "Michael Krebber: Puberty in Teaching". koelnischerkunstverein.de. Koelnischer Kunstverein. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  42. 1 2 3 "Michael Krebber: les escargots ridiculisés = The ridiculized snails". archive.org. CAPC Musée d'art contemporain de Bordeaux. 15 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  43. ↑ "Michael Krebber - Les escargots ridiculisés". crousel.com. Galerie Chantal Crousel. 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  44. 1 2 3 "Wolfgang Hahn Prize 2015 Michael Krebber and R.H. Quaytman". museum-ludwig.de. Museum Ludwig. 14 April 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  45. 1 2 "Michael Krebber: The Living Wedge". serralves.pt. Serralves. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  46. 1 2 "Michael Krebber: The Living Wedge". kunsthalle-bern.ch. Kunsthalle Bern. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  47. 1 2 "Michael Krebber". museum-brandhorst.de. Museum Brandhorst. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  48. ↑ "Michael Krebber: Studiofloor and Diamond Paintings". artsupp.com. Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare. 29 May 2022. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  49. ↑ "Michael Krebber". greenenaftali.com. Greene Naftali Gallery. 13 September 2024. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  50. ↑ Siegel, Harmon (1 November 2024). "Michael Krebber's Waiting Room". textezurkunst.de. Texte our Kunst. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  51. ↑ "Michael Krebber". artic.edu. Art Institute of Chicago. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  52. ↑ Rosenmeyer, Aoife (20 April 2017). "Michael Krebber, The Living Wedge". artreview.com. Art Review. p. 110. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  53. ↑ "Michael Krebber Peintre". centrepompidou.fr. Centre Pompidou. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  54. ↑ "Official Welcome". smb.museum. Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, Hamburg, Germany. 17 December 2013. Retrieved 21 February 2025.
  55. ↑ "Michael Krebber". moca.org. Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Retrieved 16 February 2025.
  56. ↑
  57. ↑ Sanchez, Michael (10 January 2023). Michael Krebber Catalogue Raisonné Vol. 1. Vol. 1. Walther Konig. p. 608. ISBN 9783753302201.
  58. ↑ Avgikos, Jan (June 2003). "Cosima Von Bonin". ARTFORUM. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  59. ↑ Mosselman, Arnold; Richter, Claus (10 November 2023). "Cosima von Bonin - WHAT IF IT BARKS? Featuring AUTHORITY PURÉE - Exhibitions - Petzel Gallery". Petzel. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  60. "Michael Krebber at Maureen Paley". artviewer.com. Art Viewer. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2023.