Ellen Gronemeyer

Ellen Gronemeyer is a German painter appointed as Professor of Painting at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts in Kiel starting winter semester 2025/26, succeeding Aleen Solari who held a visiting professorship since 2024. Previously, she held a junior professorship at the Düsseldorf Art Academy and maintains an active artistic practice while living and working in Berlin.

• Born in Fulda in 1979
• Studied at Hamburg University of Art and Design (HfBK Hamburg) 1998-2005
• Studied under Stephan Dillemuth and Werner Büttner
• Lived and taught in London for five years after completing her diploma

Gronemeyer's artistic practice centers on figurative painting that explores the boundaries between human, animal, and plant forms. Her work incorporates psychological depth and ambiguity while drawing from Art Informel traditions. She examines fundamental questions of identity and reality through highly observant figures that engage directly with viewers. Gronemeyer emphasizes painting's transformative potential, questioning whether art should serve commercial purposes or contribute to social emancipation – a concern that grows more pressing for her each year.

Her artistic output has been featured in numerous solo exhibitions across Hamburg, Berlin, London, New York, Shanghai, and the Ludwig Forum in Aachen, as well as group exhibitions at prestigious institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in San Francisco, Kunsthalle Bern, and Monash University of Art in Melbourne. Gronemeyer's teaching philosophy emphasizes artistic practice as a form of self-confrontation where students learn to make independent decisions and take responsibility for themselves and society.

As an educator, Gronemeyer believes the creative process enables students to develop complex, radically subjective value systems and worldviews. She approaches teaching with a community-oriented perspective, stating that experiencing community brings 'a much more intense sense of self and self-reflection.' Rather than imposing her vision, she creates space for students to develop their own artistic positions through disciplined practice and critical questioning.