Hans-Peter Feldmann

author · photographer

German^[1] b. 17 January 1941, Hilden, Germany^[1] d. 24 May 2023^[1,3] active 1968–2023

Hans-Peter Feldmann (1941–2023) was a prominent German visual artist known for his conceptual approach to art-making. His practice centered on collecting, ordering, and re-presenting found images, amateur snapshots, and trivial works of art, which he often recontextualized in books, postcards, and multiples. Feldmann began producing his signature small handmade books in the late 1960s, such as 'Bild' and 'Bilder'. Throughout his career, he explored the ubiquity of visual culture and its relationship to history and identity, often using photographic reproductions of everyday objects—from shoes and furniture to figures from pop culture—to disrupt established artistic norms. He was a key figure in the conceptual art movement and was recognized for his innovative use of the artist book as a primary medium. In 2010, he was awarded the Hugo Boss Prize, which included a significant exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.^[1,2,4,5]

• Conceptual art
• found imagery
• artist books
• reappropriation
• visual culture
• history and memory