Born: 1975 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Lives and works: Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
Media: Painting, Drawing and Printmaking
Education: Media Arts at the ZKM Karlsruhe; Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts, Berlin
Artistic Position
Max Giermann’s paintings focus on figures, faces and fragments of the human body. His works evolve through a direct and process driven approach. Overpainting, corrections, dripping paint and animated contours remain visible, making the act of painting an integral part of the finished work.
His figures are not conventional portraits. Enlarged or asymmetrical eyes, displaced mouths and frontally positioned heads evoke psychological states without defining them explicitly. The paintings move between control and openness, humour, tension and vulnerability. Although Giermann is widely known for his work as an actor and comedian, his visual practice follows an independent artistic path that began in childhood and has continued to develop ever since.
Selected Highlights
- Studied Media Arts at the Centre for Art and Media (ZKM) in Karlsruhe.
- Public presentations of his paintings since 2024, including a solo exhibition at the Kunstverein Ulm.
- Solo exhibitions at Galerie Holger John, Dresden (2025), and Figuring Out at the janinebeangallery, Berlin (2026).
The exhibition Figuring Out marked the first comprehensive presentation of Max Giermann’s painterly work in Berlin. The janinebeangallery presents paintings, works on paper and editions, while also documenting the development of his artistic practice through conversations and films.
Original paintings, works on paper and editions are available through the gallery.