Timeline

1939

Born as Ralf Winkler Dresden, East Germany

1945

Experiences the bombing of Dresden on 13th and 14th of February

1953 - 1954

Painting and Drawing course with Jürgen Böttcher

1955

Begins an apprenticeship as a draftsman at VEB DEWAG (Volkseigener Betrieb Deutsche Werbeagentur, Nationally owned enterprise German advertising agency)

1956

Repeatedly unsuccessful applications to art academies in Dresden and East Berlin. As an autodidactic artist he begins to work on painting, sculpture, film, writing and music

1957 - 1959

Starts making figurative sculptures and head studies out of plaster. Meets Georg Kern (Baselitz)

1961

First System-Bilder and further portraits and autoportraits

1964

Own studio in Lange Strasse, Dresden

Concentrates on working with cybernetics, other scientific areas and System-Bilder.
Produces his first Standart-Arbeiten and sculptures out of various materials

1965

Takes part in an exhibition at the Puschkin-Haus in Dresden. Meets Michael Werner.

1966

Accepted as candidate for the Verband Bildender Künstler Deutschlands (VKBD).
Rejection by the jury after the three-year deadline for candidates.

1967 - 1970

Begins working on signalling, sketching and symbols.

1968

Adopts the pseudonym A.R. Penck. Michael Werner displays his first exhibition at the Galerie Hake Cologne.

1969

Exhibition at Galerie Michael Werner, Cologne

1970 - 1971

Various publications in which the term Standart is described

1972

Finishing of Standart-Arbeiten. Participation in documenta 5 in Kassel

1973 - 1974

Spends six months working as a reserve for the People’sthe Mike Hammer series which then leads to the development of the TM series

1975

First major retrospective at the Bern Kunsthalle.

First meeting with Jörg Immendorff in East Berlin

1977

First wooden sculpture. Participation in documenta 6 in Kassel.

1979

Releases the first recording of >Gostritzer 92<.

1980

Left East Germany

On 3rd August travels to Lörsfeld/Kerpen (near Cologne) in the German Federal Republic. Awarded the Rembrandt Prize by the Goethe Foundation in Basel. Meets Markus Lüpertz and Per Kirkeby. Visits Joseph Beuys

1982

Participation in documenta 7 in Kassel. First publication ot the newspaper >Krater und Wolke< which is edited by A.R. Penck.

1983

Extended visit to Israel. Settles in London and later in Ireland.

Galeria Lucio Amelio, Neapel

1984 - 1985

Miniature sculptures in bronze

1984

Participation in the 41st Biennal in Venice together with Lothar Baumgarten. Increased interest in music. Joins work on the production of numerous Free Jazz Recordings.

1985

Awarded the artist’s prize by the city of Aachen

1986

First Carrara marble sculptures

1987

Receives the Nord/LB Prize for art

Settles in Ireland, in Dublin

1988

Professorship at the Art Academy Düsseldorf, Germany

1992

Takes part in documenta 9 in Kassel

1998

Extensive travelling exhibition throughout Japan

1999 - 2000

Exhibition of the bronze sculptures in Heilbronn, Bremen, Recklinghausen, Luxembourg, Berlin und Bad Homburg.

2017

Dies May 2 in Zurich