Thomas Baumgärtel

THOMAS BAUMGÄRTEL (Germany, 1960).
"Putin in prison", 2023.
Ofsset-postcard.
Signed with felt-tip pen in the upper left area.
Measurements: 15 x 10 cm.
For Thomas Baumgärtel art must take a position in the world. A clear example of this is the graffiti he did on the facade of a building in Cologne showing Putin in a prisoner's uniform and banana hat. The artist uses his spray banana not only for art, but also in the struggle for a better society, for a just economic policy and for world peace.
Since 1986, Thomas Baumgärtel has been marking the most iconic places around the world, from New York to Beijing, with his banana. It has become the logo of the art scene and can be found at the entrance of almost every gallery and modern art museum in the world. For Baumgärtel, the banana symbolizes the freedom of art, which also means being able to have subversive fun by establishing banal graffiti as an artistic logo in public space.
But Thomas Baumgärtel's works are not just about fun and provocation: the well-known artist also addresses current political issues, which he relates critically to his unmistakably distinctive logo.