It is with profound sadness and great shock that we say goodbye to Thomas Zipp, who passed away unexpectedly on Good Friday at the age of 60. Thomas Zipp (*1966, Heppenheim, DE) was an exceptional artist whose work explored artistic, scientific, religious, and social utopias—engaging equally with their promises, aspirations, and inevitable failures. Over more than two decades, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle had the privilege of working closely with him and accompanying his remarkable artistic journey. Zipp’s multifaceted practice brought together painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, and objects in expansive, programmatic installations. Beyond the visual arts, he was also active in music and writing. His “narrative conceptualism” combined a wide range of formal languages, oscillating between irony and humor, as well as poetic sensitivity and a dark, melancholic undertone. His work persistently revolved around themes such as body and mind, norm and deviation, and the unconscious or visionary. Drawing from psychological theories and research into the history of psychiatry—often in dialogue with thinkers like Michel Foucault—Zipp also maintained a deep engagement with art historical movements. His works are held in numerous major international collections, including MoMA, New York; Tate, London; MOCA, Los Angeles. Our thoughts are with his family and all those close to him.
