Jörg Immendorff (1945–2007) was one of the most important German artists of the postwar era. Born in Bleckede on the Elbe, he studied at the Düsseldorf Art Academy under Joseph Beuys. From an early stage, he combined his art with political engagement. With his famous series “Café Deutschland,” he dealt intensively with the division of Germany and gained international recognition. He saw art as a social responsibility and also worked as a professor at the Düsseldorf Art Academy.
Jörg Immendorff is associated with Neo-Expressionist painting. His work is characterized by bold colors, expressive forms, and strong political messages. He combined elements of Political Realism with symbolic and theatrical imagery, and was part of the German “Neue Wilde” movement in the 1980s.
His work has been exhibited worldwide — including at renowned museums such as the Museum Ludwig (Cologne), the Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin), the Städel Museum (Frankfurt), the Deichtorhallen (Hamburg), and the Haus der Kunst (Munich). Internationally, his art has also been shown at institutions like the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA, New York), and the Tate Modern (London).
Jörg Immendorff died in 2007 in Düsseldorf from the effects of the neurological disease ALS, leaving behind a body of work that remains one of the most powerful artistic explorations of German history and identity to this day.
