Sigmar Polke — Biography, Exhibitions, Galleries & Auction Results

palette

Selected Works682

Museum Acquisitions

MoMA

Previous Sales 226

Sotheby's

Kronleuchter, 1981

Unknown

Jun 2025

Sotheby's

Alpenveilchen, 1967

Sotheby's

Sotheby's

Christie's

Christie's

Taste Leaders, 1998

$478,800

May 2024

Sotheby's

Irrläufer (Misdirected), 1983

£1,532,599 ($1.5M USD)

Christie's

Christie's

Goldhaar (Gold Hair), 1999

Christie's

Sotheby's

The Three Astronauts Conquer the Moon, 1968

£1,453,579 ($1.5M USD)

Christie's

Sotheby's

Lappländische Reise II (Lapland Journey II), 1984

£1,407,050 ($1.4M USD)

Oct 2022

Sotheby's

Hydro

CHF 60,000 ($85k USD)

Jun 2022

Sotheby's

Plastik-Wannen [Plastic Tubs], 1964

Christie's

Christie's

Sotheby's

German Pavilion, Venice Biennale 1986, 1986

Unknown

Apr 2022

Sotheby's

Untitled, 1982

CHF 90,000 ($102k USD)

Sotheby's

Sotheby's

Rasterbild mit Palmen , 1966

$21,520,500

Nov 2021

Sotheby's

Probe for Documenta

Sotheby's

Christie's

Stadtbild II (City Painting II), 1968

$8,000,000

May 2021

Christie's

Ohne Titel (Bunnies), 2000

$1,710,000

May 2021

For Sale 2

Rosenbaum Contemporary · 1stDibs

"Samson and Delilah" screenprint by Sigmar Polke from "Kinderstern" portfolio

$15,500

International Fine Arts Consortium - IFAC Arts · 1stDibs

Preisvergliech (Price Comparison)

For sale

price_check

Market2,409 auction results

trending_upPaintings Range

$500 – $22M

146 of 173 paintings lots with prices

calculatePaintings Average

$1.2M

Object-type specific

show_chartPaintings Median

$165K

146 priced paintings lots

calendar_todayLast Paintings Sale

Jun 2026 · $1.8M

Latest tracked sale in this object type

categoryMarket by Object Type

Paintings: $165K medianWorks on paper: $15.4K medianPhotographs: $14.7K medianPosters/ephemera: $1.5K medianUnclassified lots: $489K medianEditioned prints: $3.1K medianBooks/portfolios: $4.3K median

gavelTop Auction Houses

Sotheby'sPhillipsVan HamDorotheumLempertz

emoji_events

Prizes & Awards3

Cologne Fine Art Award

Winner 2002

Praemium Imperiale

Winner 2002

Goslarer Kaiserring

Winner Year unknown

school

Education1

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf

Düsseldorf, Germany

menu_book

Publications19

expand_more

Catalogue Raisonné 2

Sigmar Polke Author

Hatje Cantz · 2000

Sigmar Polke: Die Editionen 1963-2000 Catalogue Raisonné

Hatje Cantz

Monograph 4

Sigmar Polke Author

MoMA Publications · 2016

Julian Schnabel: CVJ - Nicknames of Maitre D's & Other Excerpts from Life

Hatje Cantz · 2015

Sigmar Polke

Yale University Press · 2010

Sigmar Polke: Die drei Lügen der Malerei

Hatje Cantz · 1997

Exhibition Catalog 8

Sigmar Polke Author

Abrams · 2017

40|10 Les 40 ans de la collection - les 10 ans du musée Frieder Burda

Hatje Cantz · 2014

Kunst & Textil: Stoff als Idee und Material in der Moderne von Klimt bis heute

Hatje Cantz · 2013

Through the Looking Brain: Eine Schweizer Sammlung konzeptueller Fotografie

Hatje Cantz · 2011

Polke Author

Hatje Cantz · 2007

Sigmar Polke Author

MoMA Publications · 2002

Sigmar Polke, alchimist Author

MoMA Publications · 2001

Sigmar Polke: The Three Lies of Painting

Hatje Cantz · 1997

Group Catalog 1

Index: Fotografie DZ BANK Sammlung im Städel Museum

Hatje Cantz · 2008

Survey 4

A National Gallery: Conversations about Indispensable Art

Hatje Cantz · 2026

National-Galerie Gespräche über notwendige Kunst

Hatje Cantz · 2026

Forms of Enchantment: Writings on Art & Artists

Thames & Hudson · 2024

Forms of Enchantment: Writings on Art & Artists

Thames & Hudson · 2018

gallery_thumbnail

Current Exhibitions2

#7,184 Dierking

Sigmar Polke: The Photographs for Venice Biennale 1986

Sigmar Polke

Dierking – Galerie am Paradeplatz

May 1, 2026 — Jul 30, 2026

Details Website

#6,871 SPARC* Spazio Arte Contemporanea

The Photographs for Venice Biennale 1986

Sigmar Polke

May 2, 2026 — Jul 31, 2026

Details Website

newspaper

Recent News20

expand_more

Independent 20th Century Announces Details of 2026 Fair at the Breuer Building

Independent 20th Century has announced details for its fifth edition, taking place from September 24–27, 2026, at the Breuer Building in New York, now…

exhibitionsJun 11, 2026

Collector Christian Duerckheim: ‘I want a painting that nobody has seen before’

The article profiles German industrialist and art collector Christian Duerckheim, who has assembled a private collection focused on challenging, lesse…

exhibitionsJun 11, 2026

The $270M Lewis Mega-Sale & The Pace Contraction

Puck reports on two major developments in the art market. First, the Lewis family is planning a mega-sale of their art collection, estimated to be wor…

marketJun 5, 2026

Francis Picabia: Against Bad Breath and Cathedrals of Shit

ArtReview examines the enduring relevance of Francis Picabia through the exhibition "Francis Picabia: Expanding Horizons" at Hauser & Wirth in London.…

exhibitionsJun 5, 2026

We prefer to be better-doers than know-it-alls

German cultural policy official Wolfram Weimer calls the rise of the far-right AfD a 'defining moment' for the republic, urging the democratic center …

newsJun 5, 2026

Dale Lewis: Interview of the Month, June 2026 – Paul Carey-Kent

Dale Lewis's solo exhibition 'Lost Illusions' opens at Edel Assanti in Fitzrovia, London, marking his first London show in five years. The exhibition …

exhibitionsJun 3, 2026

Sotheby’s Offers Art and Design From Estate of Revered Dealer Barbara Gladstone, Led by Richard Prince and a Jean Prouvé Sideboard

Sotheby's will auction 140 lots of art and design from the estate of revered dealer Barbara Gladstone, who died in 2024 at age 89. The sale, scheduled…

marketJun 1, 2026

Art Movements: Wolfgang Tillmans Wins Europe's Richest Art Prize

Wolfgang Tillmans has been awarded the Roswitha Haftmann Prize, Europe's largest monetary award for living visual artists, worth CHF 150,000 (~$191,36…

newsMay 28, 2026

TEFAF New York 2026: Contemporary Gains Ground

TEFAF New York 2026 is set to feature a stronger contemporary art presence, signaling a shift in the fair's traditional focus on Old Masters and antiq…

marketMay 22, 2026

The Great Lone Wolf of Art

Georg Baselitz, the German painter known for his radical, figurative works and iconic upside-down motifs, has died at age 88. Born Hans-Georg Kern in …

obituaryMay 1, 2026

From Agnès Varda to Giuseppe Penone, the strange passion of artists for potatoes deciphered in Aubenas

The article explores the exhibition "Des patates" at Le Château – Centre d'Art Contemporain et du Patrimoine in Aubenas, France, which celebrates the …

exhibitionsApr 29, 2026

Where did the great artist Joseph Beuys live? The comic story by Gianluca Costantini

In the summer of 2022, the author visited Düsseldorf and discovered that Joseph Beuys's former home at Drakeplatz 4 in Oberkassel was for sale, but th…

localApr 28, 2026

Hans Ulrich Obrist Reveals the One Artist Who Refused to Let Him Into Their Studio

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the artistic director of London's Serpentine Galleries, revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that he has never be…

peopleApr 20, 2026

The Nearly Sixty-Year Career of Legendary Gallerist Enzo Cannaviello: A Wide-Ranging Interview

Legendary Italian gallerist Enzo Cannaviello reflects on a career spanning nearly sixty years, marked by the opening of his ninth gallery space in Mil…

peopleApr 15, 2026

I think I didn't understand many artists

Adrian Searle, the long-standing chief art critic for The Guardian, is stepping down after three decades at the publication and nearly 50 years in art…

peopleApr 10, 2026

Stephan Balkenhol New Bronze Sculptures 2026 - Man in a White

German sculptor Stephan Balkenhol has unveiled two new hand-painted bronze editions, "Man in a White Shirt and Black Pants 2026" and "Venus 2026." Rel…

marketApr 9, 2026

art basel paris 2

Art Basel Paris is undergoing a major transformation for its third edition, officially rebranding from 'Paris+ par Art Basel' and moving into the newl…

exhibitionsApr 8, 2026

Artist and Filmmaker Steve McQueen Wins $172,000 Erasmus Prize

British artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen has been awarded the 2024 Erasmus Prize by the Dutch Praemium Erasmianum Foundation. The prize includes a c…

peopleMar 30, 2026

New York Galleries: Openings and Closings (03/03-03/08)

The New York City gallery scene is experiencing a significant surge of activity for the first week of March 2026, with dozens of new exhibitions sched…

exhibitionsMar 3, 2026

art gordon veneklasen sigmar polke

Art dealer Gordon VeneKlasen, former longtime partner of Michael Werner, launched his own gallery at the start of 2025. The new VeneKlasen Gallery mad…

peopleMar 3, 2026

history

Past Exhibitions21

expand_more

#738 Warnes Contemporary Gallery

Sigmar Polke: Moderne Kunst

Sigmar Polke

302, 304 Fulham Rd., London SW10 9ER, UK

Mar 13, 2026 — Jun 11, 2026

Details

#153 Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Sigmar Polke: Moderne Kunst

Sigmar Polke

11 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8AH, UK

Mar 13, 2026 — Jun 11, 2026

Details

#13,169 Tobias Mueller Modern Art

Sigmar Polke: Paintings and Works on Paper

Sigmar Polke

Waldmannstrasse 8, 8001

Mar 13, 2026 — May 30, 2026

Details

#1,646 VeneKlasen

Sigmar Polke: Moderne Kunst

Sigmar Polke

22 Upper Brook St, London W1K 7PZ, United Kingdom

Mar 13, 2026 — Jun 1, 2026

Details

#738 Warnes Contemporary Gallery

The Dream of Menelaus

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

Mar 4, 2026 — May 9, 2026

Details

#1,646 VeneKlasen

Sigmar Polke: The Dream of Menelaus

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, United States

Mar 4, 2026 — May 9, 2026

Details

#884 Galerie Bernard Bouche

An unusual group show. Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz, Eder & Valenta, Eugène Carrière, Emilie Charmy, Etienne-Martin, Carlo Guaita, Sigmar Polke, Rui Chafes, Emanuele Becheri.

Eugène Carrière, Carlo Guaita, Sigmar Polke

123 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris, France

Jan 31, 2026 — Mar 21, 2026

Details

#117 Michael Werner

Sigmar Polke: Photographs

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

Jul 9, 2025 — Aug 27, 2025

Details

#4,485 CASSIUS&Co.

Sigmar Polke The Elephant in the Room

Sigmar Polke

63 Kinnerton St, London SW1X 8ED, UK

Nov 16, 2023 — Dec 31, 2023

Details

#14 MASSIMODECARLO

Panorama

Sigmar Polke

57 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris, France

Jan 11, 2022 — Jan 29, 2022

Details

#117 Michael Werner

Sigmar Polke Objects: Real and Imagined

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

Sep 18, 2019 — Nov 16, 2019

Details

#344 Suzanne Tarasieve

Ultra Polke

Sigmar Polke

7 rue Pastourelle

Oct 14, 2017 — Dec 30, 2017

Details

#117 Michael Werner

Sigmar Polke Pour Paintings on Paper

Sigmar Polke

22 Upper Brook St, London W1K 7PZ, UK

Jan 13, 2017 — Mar 4, 2017

Details

#117 Michael Werner

SIGMAR POLKE Silver Paintings

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

Apr 2, 2015 — Jun 27, 2015

Details

#117 Michael Werner

Sigmar Polke Early Works on Paper

Sigmar Polke

22 Upper Brook St, London W1K 7PZ, UK

Feb 5, 2015 — Apr 18, 2015

Details

#1,048 Nahmad Contemporary

THREADS OF METAMORPHOSIS: FABRIC PICTURES BY SIGMAR POLKE

Sigmar Polke

Nov 4, 2014 — Jan 22, 2015

Details

#1,696 Galerie Springer

GUEST SIGMAR POLKE PHOTOGRAPHS

Fasanenstraße 13, 10623 Berlin, Germany

Dec 13, 2011 — Feb 4, 2012

Details

#117 Michael Werner

Lens Paintings

SIGMAR POLKE

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

May 6, 2009 — Jun 27, 2009

Details

#117 Michael Werner

SIGMAR POLKE C-Drawings

Sigmar Polke

4 E 77th St # 2, New York, NY 10075, USA

Mar 30, 1999 — May 15, 1999

Details

#259 David Nolan Gallery

SIGMAR POLKE Prints 1967-1990

SIGMAR POLKE

24 E 81st St 4th floor, New York, NY 10028, USA

Feb 1, 1991 — Mar 1, 1991

Details

#259 David Nolan Gallery

SIGMAR POLKE Drawings from the 1960's

SIGMAR POLKE

24 E 81st St 4th floor, New York, NY 10028, USA

Oct 16, 1987 — Nov 20, 1987

Details

stadium

Art Fair Appearances8

expand_more

TEFAF Maastricht — Maastricht

2026

Art Basel Hong Kong — Hong Kong

2025

Art Basel — Basel

2024

Art Basel Paris — Paris

2024

The Armory Show — New York

2024

Art Basel Hong Kong — Hong Kong

2022

Art Basel — Basel

2021

The Armory Show — New York

2016

timeline

Recent Activity20

expand_more

event

prize_award

Goslarer Kaiserring

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Der Benommenheit entkommen / Snap out of numbness

newspaper

News

Art Movements: Wolfgang Tillmans Wins Europe's Richest Art Prize

May 28, 2026

newspaper

News

TEFAF New York 2026: Contemporary Gains Ground

May 22, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

The Photographs for Venice Biennale 1986

May 2, 2026

newspaper

News

Der große Einzelgänger der Kunst

May 1, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Sigmar Polke: The Photographs for Venice Biennale 1986

May 1, 2026

newspaper

News

D’Agnès Varda à Giuseppe Penone, l’étrange passion des artistes pour les patates décryptée à Aubenas

Apr 29, 2026

newspaper

News

Dove viveva il grande artista Joseph Beuys? Il racconto a fumetti di Gianluca Costantini

Apr 28, 2026

newspaper

News

Hans Ulrich Obrist Reveals the One Artist Who Refused to Let Him Into Their Studio

Apr 20, 2026

newspaper

News

I quasi sessant’anni di carriera del leggendario gallerista Enzo Cannaviello. Intervista a tutto campo

Apr 15, 2026

newspaper

News

"Ich glaube, ich habe viele Künstler nicht verstanden"

Apr 10, 2026

newspaper

News

Stephan Balkenhol New Bronze Sculptures 2026 - Man in a White

Apr 9, 2026

newspaper

News

art basel paris 2

Apr 8, 2026

newspaper

News

Artist and Filmmaker Steve McQueen Wins $172,000 Erasmus Prize

Mar 30, 2026

stadium

Art Fair

TEFAF Maastricht 2026

Mar 14, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Sigmar Polke: Moderne Kunst

Mar 13, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Sigmar Polke: Paintings and Works on Paper

Mar 13, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Moderne Kunst

Mar 13, 2026

gallery_thumbnail

Exhibition

Sigmar Polke: Moderne Kunst

Mar 13, 2026

newspaper

Sigmar Polke #154Iconic

Selected Works682

Museum Acquisitions

Previous Sales 226

For Sale 2

Market2,409 auction results

Prizes & Awards3

Education1

Publications19

Catalogue Raisonné 2

Monograph 4

Exhibition Catalog 8

Group Catalog 1

Survey 4

Current Exhibitions2

Recent News20

Past Exhibitions21

Art Fair Appearances8

Recent Activity20

Related News5

Sigmar Polke #154 Iconic