Elger Esser

Elger Esser, a German artist, is renowned for his lyrical photographs reminiscent of early photographers and 19th-century painters like Caspar David Friedrich. His works are characterized by a golden light, archaic subjects, and a tranquil sublimity.

Biography of Elger Esser

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Esser grew up in Rome but returned to Germany as a young man to pursue a career in commercial photography. In 1991, he enrolled in the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, where he studied under the guidance of Bernd and Hilla Becher.

Esser's artwork has been exhibited in museums and galleries across the globe, including prestigious venues such as Fondation Herzog in Basel, Switzerland (2004); Haggerty Museum of Art in Milwaukee, USA (2006); Gana Art Center in Seoul, South Korea (2006); Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA (2007); Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe in Germany (2016); Fondazione Stelline in Milan, Italy (2017); Landesgalerie Linz in Austria (2017); and Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art in London, UK (2017), among numerous others.

His work has been featured in numerous monographs and holds a prominent place in major collections worldwide, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Kunstmuseum in Stuttgart, the Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, the Kunsthaus Zürich, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

The artist currently resides and works in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Elger Esser's Art Style

Elger Esser's art explores the historical interplay between painting and photography, creating lyrical and introspective images that intertwine landscape and memory. His studies in Düsseldorf shaped his unique approach to contemporary photography, focusing on narrative and craftsmanship.

Esser reevaluates the history of photography, delving into its technological foundations, often revisiting early photomechanical processes and materials, including heliogravure and silver gelatine prints, as well as the widely disseminated postcard format. His works echo the discoveries of early photography masters while invoking diverse art historical references in both form and content, from the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age to the Romantic painters of the 19th century.

Landscape remains a recurring theme in Esser's art, often featuring bodies of water. Rivers and lakes become the focal points of bucolic rural scenes or brooding seascapes with vast skies and distant shores. Water, described as "the element of our existence" by Esser, serves as a sublime metaphor for life's source and the potential for danger.

The artist's photographs are often seen as transcending their specific time and place, resonating with both the past and the present. While each photo has a location's name, Esser considers his works as "internal landscapes," disconnecting the image from its geographical context to reflect scenes that exist within the mind.