Sigrid Kopfermann
Berlin 1923 – 2011 Düsseldorf
Untitled, 1998
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left
Dimensions: 58 x 67 cm
Good condition (see photos)
Viewing and collection are welcome by prior appointment
Authenticity will be confirmed in writing.
Sigrid Kopfermann (born 30 June 1923 in Berlin; died 25 June 2011 in Düsseldorf) was a significant German painter, graphic artist and art teacher of the post-war period. She is regarded as one of the most important female voices of German Informel and lyrical-poetic abstraction. As the granddaughter of the famous aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, her powerful, colour-rich works reflect a constant search for dynamism, light and rhythm.
Artistic career: The path to abstraction
Kopfermann began her artistic career in representational painting. However, influenced by trips to Paris, Ibiza and later New York, she increasingly moved away from figurative representation. Colour became her central means of expression.
Her works are characterised by an interplay of subtle colour gradations and powerful, rhythmic brushwork. In addition to traditional canvas works, she also created architecture-related works (‘art in architecture’) as well as impressive church windows. In 2003, she founded the Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel together with her husband to preserve her artistic legacy and that of her contemporaries.
Biography
1923: Born on 30 June in Berlin. Daughter of the architect Walter Kopfermann and Anna Lilienthal (daughter of Otto Lilienthal).
1941–1945: Studied at the State College of Art Education in Berlin. Trained under the painters Willy Jaeckel and Bernhard Dörries. Graduated with the state examination.
1945: Married the painter Egon Neubauer and gave birth to her son. Moved to Lower Saxony (Langenholtensen, from 1948 Hanover).
1948: First commissions in the field of art in architecture and the design of church windows.
1952–1964: Extended working stays in Ibiza (1952–1954) and Paris (1957–1958), which significantly steered her style towards abstraction.
1956: Admitted as a member of the German Artists’ Association.
1957: Joined the long-established artists’ association “Darmstädter Sezession”.
1959: Awarded the ‘Die neue Generation’ art prize. First major solo exhibition at the Kunstverein Hannover.
1963: Awarded the Lower Saxony State Promotion Prize.
1966: Second marriage to the lawyer, senior civil servant and art collector Dr Otto Führmann. Moved to Düsseldorf.
1970–2000: Numerous study trips and painting residencies, including in the south of France, Italy, Peru and the USA (New York).
2003: Founded the non-profit Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation in her own home in Düsseldorf.
2011: On 25 June, Sigrid Kopfermann passed away in Düsseldorf shortly before her 88th birthday.
Exhibitions (selection)
Throughout her life, Sigrid Kopfermann was represented in numerous national and international exhibitions. Her works are held in major museums, including those in Hanover, Düsseldorf, Oldenburg and Witten.
Solo exhibitions
1959: Kunstverein Hannover (first major retrospective)
1963: Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam
1972: Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf
1985: Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, Düren
1990: Halle Altes Rathaus, Schweinfurt (“Neue Bilder”)
1998: Cubus-Kunsthalle, Duisburg
2003: Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn
2008: Cubus-Kunsthalle, Duisburg (“Aus dem Gegenwärtigen”)
2013: Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation, Düsseldorf (commemorative exhibition)
2023: Galerie Franz Swetec, Düsseldorf (exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of his birth)
Participation in exhibitions
From 1946: Regular participation in the autumn exhibitions of the Kunstverein Hannover
From 1956: Annual exhibitions of the Deutscher Künstlerbund
1958: “Darmstädter Sezession”, Darmstadt
1962: “Salon de Réalités Nouvelles”, Paris
1983: “Deutscher Informel”, Galerie im Park, Burgdorf
2024–2025: “InformELLE. Female Artists of the 1950s/60s”, travelling exhibition at venues including the Kunsthalle Schweinfurt and the EMMA Creative Centre in Pforzheim.Sigrid Kopfermann
Berlin 1923 – 2011 Düsseldorf
Untitled, 1998
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left
Dimensions: 58 x 67 cm
Good condition (see photos)
Viewing and collection are welcome by prior appointment
Authenticity will be confirmed in writing.
Sigrid Kopfermann (born 30 June 1923 in Berlin; died 25 June 2011 in Düsseldorf) was a significant German painter, graphic artist and art teacher of the post-war period. She is regarded as one of the most important female voices of German Informel and lyrical-poetic abstraction. As the granddaughter of the famous aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal, her powerful, colour-rich works reflect a constant search for dynamism, light and rhythm.
Artistic career: The path to abstraction
Kopfermann began her artistic career in representational painting. However, influenced by trips to Paris, Ibiza and later New York, she increasingly moved away from figurative representation. Colour became her central means of expression.
Her works are characterised by an interplay of subtle colour gradations and powerful, rhythmic brushstrokes. In addition to traditional canvas works, she also created architecture-related works (‘art in architecture’) as well as impressive church windows. In 2003, she founded the Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation in Düsseldorf-Oberkassel together with her husband to preserve her artistic legacy and that of her contemporaries.
Biography
1923: Born on 30 June in Berlin. Daughter of the architect Walter Kopfermann and Anna Lilienthal (daughter of Otto Lilienthal).
1941–1945: Studied at the State College of Art Education in Berlin. Trained under the painters Willy Jaeckel and Bernhard Dörries. Graduated with the state examination.
1945: Married the painter Egon Neubauer and gave birth to her son. Moved to Lower Saxony (Langenholtensen, from 1948 Hanover).
1948: First commissions in the field of art in architecture and the design of church windows.
1952–1964: Extended working stays in Ibiza (1952–1954) and Paris (1957–1958), which significantly steered her style towards abstraction.
1956: Admitted as a member of the German Artists’ Association.
1957: Joined the long-established artists’ association “Darmstädter Sezession”.
1959: Awarded the ‘Die neue Generation’ art prize. First major solo exhibition at the Kunstverein Hannover.
1963: Awarded the Lower Saxony State Promotion Prize.
1966: Second marriage to the lawyer, senior civil servant and art collector Dr Otto Führmann. Moved to Düsseldorf.
1970–2000: Numerous study trips and painting residencies, including in the south of France, Italy, Peru and the USA (New York).
2003: Founded the non-profit Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation in her own home in Düsseldorf.
2011: On 25 June, Sigrid Kopfermann passed away in Düsseldorf shortly before her 88th birthday.
Exhibitions (selection)
Throughout her life, Sigrid Kopfermann was represented in numerous national and international exhibitions. Her works are held in major museums, including those in Hanover, Düsseldorf, Oldenburg and Witten.
Solo exhibitions
1959: Kunstverein Hannover (First major retrospective)
1963: Galerie d’Eendt, Amsterdam
1972: Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf
1985: Leopold-Hoesch-Museum, Düren
1990: Halle Altes Rathaus, Schweinfurt (“Neue Bilder”)
1998: Cubus-Kunsthalle, Duisburg
2003: Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn
2008: Cubus-Kunsthalle, Duisburg (“Aus dem Gegenwärtigen”)
2013: Kopfermann-Fuhrmann Foundation, Düsseldorf (commemorative exhibition)
2023: Galerie Franz Swetec, Düsseldorf (exhibition marking the 100th anniversary of his birth)
Participation in exhibitions
From 1946: Regular participation in the autumn exhibitions of the Kunstverein Hannover
From 1956: Annual exhibitions of the Deutscher Künstlerbund
1958: “Darmstädter Sezession”, Darmstadt
1962: “Salon de Réalités Nouvelles”, Paris
1983: “Deutscher Informel”, Galerie im Park, Burgdorf
2024–2025: “InformELLE. Female Artists of the 1950s/60s”, touring exhibition at venues including the Kunsthalle Schweinfurt and the EMMA Creative Centre in Pforzheim.
