Sigmar Polke was born in 1941, the son of a smith. As a child, he is passionate about art history, and more particulary about classical art and nordic painting. In his free time he likes to lose himself in the textile department of large shops; his favourite book is Alice in Wonderland; and his hero is Leonardo da Vinci. He does not subscribe to any religion; in fact, he laughs at them. He believes in higher beings, is fascinated by esoteric writing and knows the Greek myths by heart. He likes travelling to the Middle East in search of popular tales and legends. He continuously experiments with pigments, light and natural materials. Sigmar Polke is tirelessly curious, and has countless interests: his art is inexhaustible and takes the form of paintings, photographs, films, works on paper and installations. During the economic boom of the 1960s, he creates banal images inspired by advertising, which launch the European version of Pop Art. Twenty years later, in the 1980s, he begins focusing on deeper themes, such as human existence, the unconscious, parapsychology and cosmology.
Sigmar Polke was born in 1941, the son of a smith. As a child, he is passionate about art history, and more particulary about classical art and nordic painting. In his free time he likes to lose himself in the textile department of large shops; his favourite book is Alice in Wonderland; and his hero is Leonardo da Vinci. He does not subscribe to any religion; in fact, he laughs at them. He believes in higher beings, is fascinated by esoteric writing and knows the Greek myths by heart. He likes travelling to the Middle East in search of popular tales and legends. He continuously experiments with pigments, light and natural materials. Sigmar Polke is tirelessly curious, and has countless interests: his art is inexhaustible and takes the form of paintings, photographs, films, works on paper and installations. During the economic boom of the 1960s, he creates banal images inspired by advertising, which launch the European version of Pop Art. Twenty years later, in the 1980s, he begins focusing on deeper themes, such as human existence, the unconscious, parapsychology and cosmology.