Polke, the seventh in a family of eight children, was born in Oels in Lower Silesia. He fled with his family to Thuringia in … 展开

In 1963, Polke founded the painting movement "Kapitalistischer Realismus" ("Capitalist realism") with Gerhard Richter and Konrad Fischer (alias Konrad Lueg as artist). It is an anti-style of art, appropriating the pictorial shor… 展开

Polke had his first one-person show at Galerie René Block, West Berlin, in 1966, and in 1970 he had his first solo exhibition at Galerie Michael Werner. His first solo exhibition in New York, of paintings made at least a decad… 展开

Polke achieved earliest success with his paintings and drawings of consumer goods. His most recognizable works are from the mid-1960s and have performed the best at auction. A first record price for Polke's work at auction was e… 展开

Through his numerous high-profile exhibitions, Polke exerted an international influence, affecting somewhat younger artists such as his compatriots Martin Kippenberger and Albert Oehlen, Lara Schnitger (Dutch … 展开