Martin Kippenberger (b. 25 February 1953 in Dortmund- d. 7 March 1997 in Vienna) was an influential German artist with a penchant for mischief. His reputation seems to have sprung more from his contempt for tradition than his artistic abilities but his creations continue to attract gallery visitors and art buyers.
REBELS AGAINST TRADITION
One of the German art movement called Neue Wilde - comparable to the 'Young Turks' of Britain - he was aligned with such German enfants terribles as Albert Oehlen, Markus Oehlen, Georg Herold, Dieter Göls, and Günther Förg.
Kippenberger's creations were more concerned with effect than execution - and his obsessive pursuit of polemics managed to offend just about everybody at one time or another. In 2008, this sculpture of a toad being crucified (Zuerste die Füsse or "Feet First") was condemned by Pope Benedict as blasphemous. The Pope objected that the work "injured the religious feeling of many".
WILD YOUTH
The term Neue Wilde describing the art movement is an adaptation of the original Junge Wilde - German for "wild youth". It was originally applied to trends within the art world of the late 1970s and early 1980s, but later came into popular usage to describe contemporary politics. The term is commonly used by German-language journalists to describe any non-traditional group seeking to undermine established authority
Martin Kippenberger's work was shown in the Venice Biennale in 1988 and 2003, and in the Documenta in 1997. He was also included in the group exhibition Von hier aus − Zwei Monate neue deutsche Kunst in Düsseldorf in 1984. And an exhibition of his work was shown at the Tate Modern in 2006. This fall, part of Martin Kippenberger's oeuvre will be presented in a solo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, from 21st September, 2008 to 5th January, 2009. The exhibition will travel to the Museum of Modern Art, New York, thereafter.
(Photos: Taschen / The Times On-Line Picture Gallery)
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