Michaela Kölmel (1956 – 2007) was a German artist and university professor from

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

. Her artistic work included

drawing Drawing is a Visual arts, visual art that uses an instrument to mark paper or another two-dimensional surface, or a digital representation of such. Traditionally, the instruments used to make a drawing include pencils, crayons, and ink pens, some ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

s, site-specific installations, and interventions in public spaces.

Life and work

Kölmel studied at the State Academy of Fine Arts Karlsruhe from 1980 to 1986 under the guidance of Prof. Hiromi Akiyama and Prof. David Lauer. She received the Graduate Scholarship from the State of

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, along with other scholarships, which enabled her to continue her work at the

Cité Internationale des Arts The Cité internationale des arts is an artist-in-residence building complex which accommodates artists of all specialities and nationalities in Paris. It comprises two sites, one located in the Marais and the other in Montmartre. Approximately ...

in Paris in 1992. Kölmel held teaching positions at the University of Pforzheim from 1995 to 1999 and at

Ahrenshoop Ahrenshoop is a municipality in the Vorpommern-Rügen district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany on the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula of the Baltic Sea. It used to be a small fishing village, but is today known for its tourism and as a holi ...

in 2000, funded by the Kunstfonds Berlin. In 2002, she was appointed professor at the

Mainz University of Applied Sciences The Mainz University of Applied Sciences (German language, German: ''Hochschule Mainz''), is a 1971-founded university located in Mainz, in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The University of Applied Sciences Mainz consists of th ...

, where she taught courses in Interior Design, Sculpture, Drawing, and Art History until her death in 2007.

Style

Kölmel's work was influenced by the

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

tradition of the 1960s, focusing on simplicity and elemental forms. Her sculptures and installations often contrasted external simplicity with complex or luminous interiors. She employed materials such as polished copper tubes, stainless steel sheets, and mirror glass to create visual and perceptual effects in her site-specific installations. Notable works include installations at the

ZKM Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe The ZKM , Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe (until March 2016: ZKM Center for Art and Media Technology), a cultural institution, was founded in 1989 and, since 1997, is located in a former munitions factory in Karlsruhe, Germany. The ZKM (Germa ...

(1992), Orgelhalle (1994), and Galerie Rottloff (2006). In her drawings, Kölmel utilized unconventional materials like foil and graphite powder, creating textures and relief-like surfaces with cuts and lines rather than traditional pencil and paper.

Collections and legacy

Kölmel's work is held in several public collections, including the Ministry of Science and Art of Baden-Württemberg, the

Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe The Staatliche Kunsthalle (State Art Gallery) is an fine art museum in Karlsruhe, Germany. Its collection consists of works by mainly German, French, Flemish and Dutch masters from the past eight centuries. The museum was conceived in the early ...

, the

, and the Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe. Additionally, her works are part of private collections such as the Museum für aktuelle Kunst - Sammlung Hurrle and the collection of

Reinhold Würth Reinhold Würth (born 20 April 1935) is a German businessman and art collector. In 1954, at the age of 19, he took over his father's wholesale screw business and built it into the Würth Group, which posted €19.9 billion (US$21.68 billion) in ...

Gallery

File:4 Installation, Mirror on parquet floor, Museum Ettlingen Castle, 2001.jpg, Installation, 2001 Mirror on parquet floor, approx. ca. 800/700/1 cm (Museum Ettlingen/ Castle, November 2001) File:1 Untitled, Anroechter Dolomite Stainless Steel, KIT, Karlsruhe, 1991.jpg, Untitled, 1991, Anroechter Dolomit/Stainless Steel, ca. 300/125/55 cm (Location: KIT, Karlsruhe)

Selected exhibitions

*2019 "LichtSchatten", Solo Show, Karlsruhe Lukaskirche *2012 "gestern-heute-morgen", Group Show, (GA) *2011 "Spektral - Diametral", Group Show, *2009 Group Show, , *2004 "Painting and sculpture since 1960", Group Show,

*2000 "Gabriele Münter Prize", Group Show, Frauenmuseum Bonn (GA) *1999 "Kunstmesse Düsseldorf", Solo Show, Galerie Rottloff *1999 "Objekte", Solo Show, Galerie Rottloff *1997 "Förderverein aktuelle Kunst", Solo Show, FAK Münster *1996 "Michaela Kölmel", Solo Show, *1996 "von der Farbe zum Licht", Group Show, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe *1995 Group Show, Galerie Karin Friebe Mannheim *1993 "Sculptura Ulm '93", Group Show, Pro Arte Ulmer Kunststiftung *1992 "MultiMediale 2", Group Show with Karlheinz Bux Karlheinz Bux, ZKM Karlsruhe

References

External links

kuenstlerbund-bawue.de
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kölmel, Michaela 1956 births 2007 deaths 21st-century German women artists 20th-century German women artists Artists from Karlsruhe Academic staff of the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe alumni