Gerold Miller Germany, b. 1961

Overview
Gerold Miller (b. 1961, Altshausen, Germany) is a German sculptor renowned for his minimalist and geometric works that explore the intersections of space, form, and perception. Utilizing industrial materials such as aluminum and lacquer, his precisely executed sculptures and wall pieces blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture. Miller studied sculpture under Jürgen Brodwolf at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart from 1984 to 1989. His notable solo exhibition "get ready" at the Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin (2002), showcased his large-format "hard:edged" works. Recognized with awards like the International Lake Constance Culture Prize (2001) and the Helmut Kraft Foundation Prize (2023), his works are included in major collections worldwide, including the Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Miller lives and works in Berlin and Pistoia.
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Works
  • Gerold Miller, Instant Vision 285, 2024. Lacquered aluminum, 50 x 41 x 3 cm. © Buysse Gallery. All rights reserved.
    Gerold Miller
    Instant vision 285, 2024
  • Gerold Miller’s Set c24 (2024), a minimalist artwork featuring a teal rectangular surface with a white diagonal segment, crafted in lacquered aluminum.
    Gerold Miller
    set c24, 2024
  • Gerold Miller, instant vision 293, 2024. © Buysse Gallery. All rights reserved.
    Gerold Miller
    instant vision 293, 2024
  • Gerold Miller, set c42, 2024. © Buysse Gallery. All rights reserved.
    Gerold Miller
    set c42, 2024
  • Gerold Miller, Verstärker 33 / Amplifier 33, 2019 © Buysse Gallery. All rights reserved.
    Gerold Miller
    Verstärker 33 / Amplifier 33, 2019
Biography
Gerold Miller, 2024. Photo courtesy of the artist
Gerold Miller, 2024. Photo courtesy of the artist

Gerold Miller (born 1961 in Altshausen, Germany) is an influential German sculptor and installation artist whose minimalist and geometric works critically engage with concepts of space, form, and perception. Operating at the intersection of sculpture, painting, and architecture, his practice challenges traditional categorizations and invites viewers to reconsider the nature of visual experience.

 

Miller studied sculpture under Jürgen Brodwolf at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart between 1984 and 1989. Early in his career, he was awarded several prestigious scholarships and residencies, including a grant from the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg (1990), a DAAD scholarship for Chicago (1990/91), and a residency at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris (1994). These international experiences significantly influenced his artistic development, fostering his exploration of industrial materials and precision in execution.
His early series "Anlagen" (Installations) draws upon the principles of concrete art and minimalism, featuring industrially manufactured, frame-like wall pieces that redefine the spatial dynamics of the exhibition environment. In the "ready-mixes" series, Miller incorporates ideas from conceptual art and readymades, further blurring the boundaries between art and design.

 

The 2002 solo exhibition "get ready" at the Nationalgalerie im Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, provided a comprehensive overview of his large-format "hard:edged" works. These pieces merge the flatness characteristic of classic hard-edge painting with the vivid color palette of American pop art, creating a dynamic visual tension.

 

Miller's "total objects" represent hybrid constellations between art and design, emphasizing his ongoing investigation into the frame as both a physical boundary and a conceptual element. In his recent works, he has expanded his artistic approach by copper-plating aluminum substrates and subjecting them to complex processes of oxidation and multiple layers of varnish, resulting in surfaces that challenge perceptions of depth and materiality.

His works are held in numerous public and private collections worldwide, including the Nationalgalerie, Berlin; Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk; Kunsthalle Weishaupt, Ulm; New Orleans Museum of Art; Kunstmuseum Stuttgart; and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Miller has been recognized with awards such as the International Lake Constance Culture Prize (2001) and the Helmut Kraft Foundation Prize (2023).


Gerold Miller continues to live and work in Berlin and Pistoia. His contributions to contemporary art critically expand the discourse surrounding minimalism and geometric abstraction, making significant impacts on how space and form are perceived and experienced.

Exhibitions
News
Bibliography

Monographs & Exhibition Catalogues

  • Anklam, Nico. On the Witnessing of the Creation of Images: Gerold Miller and Gustave Courbet. Exhibition Catalogue: Works 2015–2025, 2024.
  • Dehò, Valerio. No Boundaries. Exhibition Catalogue, 2023.

  • Verzotti, Giorgio. Gerold Miller. Eduardo Secci Contemporary. Artforum, 2019.

  • Grunwald, Nora, and Gerold Miller. Interview mit Gerold Miller. In Gerold Miller, 2019, pp. 116–123.

  • Köb, Edelbert. Gerold Miller: What Do You Represent? Berlin: Distanz Verlag, 2012.

  • Maier, Stephan. Frameworks: Zwischen Ornament und Versprechen – das Werk von Gerold Miller. In Gerold Miller, 2011, pp. 145–149.

  • Luther, Anne. Gerold Miller. In Kunsthalle Weishaupt, Ulm: Kerber Verlag, 2016, pp. 40–48.

  • Nymphius, Friederike. Postindustrieller Impressionismus. Exhibition Catalogue: Gerold Miller – Verstärker, Galerie Mehdi Chouakri, 2009, pp. 55–58.

  • Blume, Eugen, Peter Weibel, Renate Wiehager, and Stephan Maier. Gerold Miller – Get Ready. Berlin: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, 2002.

  • Stephan Maier, Gerold Miller – Re-forming the Future, Heidelberg: Kehrer Verlag, 2001.

  • Wiehager, Renate. Gerold Miller. Stuttgart: Cantz Verlag, 1997.


Articles & Essays

  • Willet, Jack. Gerold Miller, Exhibition Text, ASHES/ASHES, New York City, 2021.

  • Rodríguez, Nicole. Gerold Miller at Mies van der Rohe Haus. Eyeout: The Mobile Art Guide, 2014.

  • Cherubini, Laura. Frames: From Sculpture to Painting and Back. In Gerold Miller – SET, Giacomo Guidi, 2014, pp. 21–23.

  • Rohringer, Susanne. Gerold Miller – A Retrospective: Konkrete Objekte. Artmagazine, August 2011.

  • Köhler, Herbert. Bildner Bildloser Bildlichkeit. Kritisches Lexikon der Gegenwartskunst, 2009, pp. 2–8.

  • Müller, Jens. Parkhausfarbe im Altbau: Gerold Miller in der Galerie Chouakri. Der Tagesspiegel, 2017.

  • Dorfi, Gerhard. Gerold Miller: Industrial Chic als Schule des Sehens. Der Standard, August 2017.

  • Vilmer, Fiona. Interview with Gerold Miller. Scandale Project (Online magazine), 2016.

  • Goodman, Jonathan. New York: Gerold Miller – Cassina Projects. Sculpture Magazine, 2018.

  • Vo, Nhat. Gerold Miller. Minimalissimo Magazine (Online), 2018.

  • Reber, Simone, and Christiane Meixner. Minimalismus. Der Tagesspiegel, 2014.

  • Wiehager, Renate. Widerstand – heute!? Exhibition Text, Stuttgart, 1994.

    Selected Publications Featuring Gerold Miller.

  • Minimal Art, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 2020.

  • Paint It All! Aktuelle Malerei aus Berlin, Berlinische Galerie, 2022.

  • The Abstract Cabinet, M17 Contemporary Art Center, Kiev, 2019.

  • Illumination: New Contemporary Art, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, 2016.

  • MinimalPop, Galerie les Filles du Calvaire, Paris, 2005.

  • Rasterfahndung: Das Raster in der Kunst nach 1945, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, 2012.

  • Gerold Miller: Verstärker, Galerie Mehdi Chouakri, 2009.