In the 1980's, Michael Krebber became one of the important figures on the Cologne art scene. After working and studying with major German painters, such as Georg Baselitz and Martin Kippenberger, he began producing his own paintings. Yet, rather than seeking to create new pictorial forms, Krebber has adopted a conceptual approach. His work is a constantly-renewed and often ironic reflection on the place of painting today.

In the mid-2000s, this reflection led him to divert the actual painted gesture. In this work, we seem to be looking at a painting when, in fact, the canvas is not painted, but covered by Krebber with two different pieces of blue gingham fabric glued together. In this very important work in his career, Krebber diverts the material from its intended use, thus questioning the very meaning of painting.

Michael Krebber lives and works in New York. Recent solo presentations include Fondazione Antonio Dalle Nogare, Bolzano (2021); Museum Brandhorst, Munich (2019); Greene Naftali, New York (2021, 2018, 2015); Kunsthalle Bern (2017); Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto (2016); Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2015); and CAPC Musée d’art Contemporain, Bordeaux (2012).

His work is in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art, New York; Centre Pompidou, Paris; CAPC Musée d'art Contemporain, Bordeaux; Hamburger Bahnhof - Museum of Contemporary Art, Berlin; Museum Ludwig, Cologne; and Museum Brandhorst, Munich, among others. He was awarded the Wolfgang Hahn Prize by the Museum Ludwig, Cologne, in 2015.