Born in Stuttgart, Germany

Raised in Rome, Italy

Studies at Dusseldorf Academy of Fine Arts with Prof. Bernd Becher

Student of Master Class

Academy diploma

DAAD-travel grant ‚Italy’
Advancement award of Fine Arts of the city of Dusseldorf

Visiting Professor of Photography at Folkwang Hochschule Essen

Professor of Photography at Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design

Rheinischer Kunstpreis

Fellowship Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK), Institute for Advanced Study, Delmenhorst

Oskar-Schlemmer-Preis, Großer Staatspreis für Bildende Kunst Baden-Württemberg

Lives and works in Dusseldorf

Aestus II, KEWENIG, Berlin, Germany
Le Lys dans la vallée, Fondation des Artistes Rotonde Balzac, Paris, France
Das Stille Sein, Galerie der Grinten, Cologne, Germany
Aestus I, pied-à-terre's Kewenig, Berlin, Germany
Voyages, Rosegallery, Santa Monica, CA, United States
Photographies sur cuivre par Elger Esser, Musée d'Art moderne de Fontevraud, France
Elger Esser. Silberblumen, FLOWERS, Hong Kong

Elger Esser. Silberblumen, Flowers Gallery, Hong Kong, China

Elger Esser. So far yet so close, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia

En somme, j'ai vu de l'eau, du soleil, des nuages… Photographies d’Elger Esser, Musée de la Mer, Ile Sainte Marguerite, Cannes, France
Elger Esser. Grey Le Gray, Galerie Van der Grinten, Cologne, Germany
Inherent time, Bruce Silverstein, New York, USA

Entre temps et durée, Galerie RX, Paris, France
De Sérignant à Giverny, Tour46, Belfort, France
L'autre côte du vent, Elger Esser and Felix Schramm, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Brussels, Belgium
Morgenland, Fondation Fernet Branca, Saint-Louis, France

Oeuvres choisies, Bae Bien-U, Elger Esser, Galerie RX, Paris, France
Elger Esser, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Elger Esser. Paysages intimes, Rose Gallery, Santa Monica, USA
Elger Esser. Paysages intimes, Van der Grinten, Cologne, Germany

Morgenland, KEWENIG Berlin, Germany
Le Nil sur la Loire, Château de Chaumont, Domaine Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
El Tiempo en Suspenso, Museo Patio Herreriano, Valladolid, Spain
Morgenland, Schirmer/Mosel Showroom, Munich, Germany
Delfts Blauw, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands
Elger Esser - De sublime, Fondazione Stelline, Milan, Italy
Morgenland, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, London, England
Elger Esser - Aetas, Landesgalerie Linz des Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseums

From Shivta to Lifta, Loushy | Art & Projects, Tel Aviv, Israel
Elger Esser - Zeitigen, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany

Irides, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
New Works, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Cabinet de travail, Katz Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland
Elger Esser: New Works, Rosegallery, Santa Monica, CA, United States
Elger Esser, Dominic Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia

Elger Esser: Combray", The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, United States
L’âge d’or, KEWENIG Berlin, Germany
Elger Esser: Saeculum Aureum, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Elger Esser, Fundació Palma Espai d’art, Casal Solleric, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Nocturnes à Giverny. Photographies de Elger Esser, Pôle Image HauteNormandie, Rouen, France
Elger Esser, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany
Elger Esser Heliogravure, Galerie de Zaal, Delft
Elger Esser: Ab Olympo, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Meseglise, Institut für Moderne Kunst, Nürnberg, Germany

Elger Esser. Giverny, Heliogravuren, Schirmer/Mosel Showroom, Munich, Germany
Elger Esser, Institut für moderne Kunst, Nürnburg Sonnabend Gallery, New York

ONDINAS, KEWENIG Palma, Spain
"Lichte Weite", LVR-Landes Museum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome Katz Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland
Stille Wellen, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany

Rose Gallery, Santa Monica, United States
Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Kunstforum Baloise, Basel

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany
Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem, the Netherlands
Galería Fúcares, Madrid, Spain
Photobiennale Moscow, Exhibition Hall New Manege, Moscow, Russia

Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Galleria Bonomo, Bari, Italy
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany

Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg
FO.KU.S - Foto Kunst Stadtforum, Innsbruck, Austria
Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Rose Gallery, Santa Monica, Germany

Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, United States
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France

Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany
Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
Musée de la Cohue, Vannes, France
Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Galerie de Zaal, Delft, the Netherlands
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Galería Fúcares, Madrid, Spain

Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany
Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France

Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
Fondation Herzog, Basel, Switzerland
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria

Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany
Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany

Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Palazzo delle Papesse – Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena, Italy

Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria
Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Galleria d'Arte Moderna – Villa delle Rose, Bologna, Italy

Alte Feuerwache Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany
Galerie Inge Friebe, Lüdenscheid, Germany
Galerie 213, Paris Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands

Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Galerie Andreas Grimm, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
neg-gallery, Milan, Italy

Kunstverein Siegen, Siegen, Germany
Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
Kulturforum Alte Post, Neuss, Germany
Galerie Inge Friebe, Lüdenscheid, Germany
Galerie 213, Paris, Farnce
Kunstraum Dusseldorf (Advancement Award of Fine Arts), Germany

Galerie Andreas Grimm, Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Kunstverein Hagen, Hagen, The Netherlands

Kulturbahnhof Eller, Dusseldorf, Germany

Transformation: Material & Auflösung, Galerie Van der Grinten, Cologne, Germany
Never Lost and Alway Found, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Landscape and Psyche, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia
Landscapes, Florenz & Istanbul, Musem Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau, Germany
Rosenrot, Grasgrün, Quittengelb, Kunsthalle Würth, Schäbisch Hall, Germany
Rembrand en Eau forte with Elger Esser Landscapes, Abbaye de Fontevraud, France
Au Milieu des Terres - En carnet de voyages en méditerranée, Espace Cultural Départemental 21, Bis Merabeau, Aix-en Provence, France
Wasser, Wolken, Wind, Elementar- und Wetterphänomene in Werken der Sammlung Würth Forum Würth Rorschach, Switzerland

Earth: A Retrospective. El Último Grito | La Col-lecció Per Amor A l'Art, Bombas Gens Centre d'Art, Valencia, Spain
Momente des Sehens, Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Schloss Dätzingen, Grafenau, Germany
Life:Still, Rose Gallery, Santa Monica, CA, United States
On view, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy
Fantastic Visions, AMoA, Amarillo Museum of Art, Amarillo, United States
Une Historie de famille, Colection(s) Robelin, Musée d'Art Contemporain Lyon, France
Nature, Galerie RY, Paris, France
Unfolding Worlds, Hopstreet Gallery, Brussels, Belgium
Belonging, The Hunt Museum, Limerick, Ireland
15 Years of DMG, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia

COLECCIÓN JUMEX: TEMPERATURA AMBIENTE, Fundación Museo Jumex, Mexico City, Mexico
Kunst. Bewegt. 20 Neuerwerbungen, Museum Schloss Moyland, Bedburg-Hau, Germany
Small id Beautiful, Flowers Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Light and Mind, Galerie Lausberg, Düsseldorf, Germany
Groups and Spots. Contemporary Art at Baloise, museum franz gertsch, Burgdorf, Switzerland

Die Illusion der Realität, Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Stuttgart, Germany
Time and space aren't warping, I promise, 7th Mediations Biennale Polska, Warsaw, Poland
Loosely Stated, Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, United States
Nähe- Ferne. Elger Esser, Glen Rubsamen, Stefan Sehler, Cosar HMT, Düsseldorf, Germany
Blue, Loushy Art & Projects, Tel Aviv, Israel
Serie Gracioso, TEA Las Catalinas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Die Inszenierung der Natur in Werken der Sammlung Würth, Chur, Switzerland
The Sonnabend Collection, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada
Im Garten der Farben. Paul Ege Art Collection, PEAC Museum, Freiburg, Germany

Enfesselte Natur. Das Bild der Katastrophe seit 1600, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
El Pols del Cos. Usos i Representacions de l'Espai, Bombas Gens, Valencia, Spain

Mythos Giverny, Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Stuttgart, Germany
New Düsseldof Photography, Galerie RX, Paris, France

Magical Surfaces: The Uncanny in Contemporary Photography, Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, London, England
Der typologische Blick - Ausstellung für Hilla Becher, Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, Germany

GALLERY 3010, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Bert de Beul - Ian Hamilton Finlay - Elger Esser, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg, Germany
Die Idee der Landschaft, DZ Bank Kunstsammlung, Berlin, Germany
Baywatch, Galerie Hartwich, Ostseebad Selin auf Rügen, Germany
Eolie 1950/2015. Mare motus., Chiesa di Santa Caterina ed ex carcere, Lipari, Italy
Photographier les jardins de Monet. Cinq regards contemporains. Almond · Esser · Foucault · Plossu · Shore, Musée des impressionnismes Giverny, Giverny, France
Open Rhapsody. A journey into photography and video collections, Beirut Exhibition Center, Beirut, Lebanon
Landscape in my Mind - Landschaftsfotografie heute, Kunstforum Wien, Vienna, Austria

One Work, The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs, New York, United States
Temporary living, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
Una Colección Basada en la Naturaleza y el medio ambiente, Colección MP de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain
Home (Very) Sweet Home, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Desaster / The End of Days, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France
Il Fuoco Della Natura / The Flash of Nature, Salone degli Incanti, ex Pescheria, Trieste, Italy

OLD SCHOOL. Anachronismus in der zeitgenössischen Kunst, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel

Religion und Riten. DZ Bank Kunstsammlung, Art Foyer, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Im Schein des Unendlichen – Romantik und Gegenwart, Altana Kulturstiftung, Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg, Germany
Exposition photographique: Eaux précieuses – Eaux sauvages, Galerie d’art du Conseil général, Hôtel de Castillon, Aix-en-Provence, France
Kalte Rinden - Seltene Erden, Märkisches Museum, Witten, Germany
Kalte Rinden - Seltene Erden, Stadtmuseum Hattingen, Germany
Les Territoires du désir ou les métamorphoses d’un musée imaginaire, Musée d’Art moderne André Malraux - MuMa, Le Havre, France
Il Fuoco Della Natura / The Flash of Nature, Salone degli Incanti, ex Pescheria, Trieste, Italy

Les Territoires du désir ou les métamorphoses d’un musée imaginaire., Musée d’Art moderne André Malraux - MuMa, Le Havre, France
light-sensitive – Contemporary Photography from the Schaufler Collection, Schauwerk Sindelfingen, Sindelfingen, Germany
Welt-(er)-findung, zeitgenössische Photographie - Collection Olbricht, Kunsthaus Villa Jauss, Oberstdorf, Germany
La ciudad magnífica. Arquitecturas en la colección CIRCA-XX Pilar Citoler, The Andalusian Centre of Photography, Almería, Spain
Kunst befreit! Neupräsentation der Sammlung, Museum Kunstpalast, Dusseldorf, Germany
ILEANA SONNABEND. AN ITALIAN PORTRAIT, Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venice, Italy

Der rote Bulli: Stephan Shore und die neue Dsseldorfer Fotografie, NRW- Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft, Dusseldorf, Germany
Viaggio in Italia, sguardi internazionali sull’Italia contemporanea, Palazzo Fabroni, Pistoia Collezioni Contemporanee. sms santa maria della scala, Siena, Italy
Konstellationen, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria
Et in Arcadia Ego. Paraísos cercanos, TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Tenerife, Spain
The Dusseldorf School of Photography. Bernd & Hilla Becher, Thomas Ruff, Candida Höfer, In Sook Kim, Elger Esser", Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
"IMAGINÁRIO DA PAISAGEM. Obras da BesArt - colecção Banco Espírito Santo, CAV Centro de artes Visuais, Encontros de Fotografia, Coimbra ZERO - ∞, Schauwerk Sindelfingen, Sindelfingen, Germany

Tago-Mago, Galería Fúcares, Almagro, Spain
Siedlungen und Wohnanlagen 1858–1937, Stadtmuseum Dusseldorf, Germany
Voyages pittoresques, 1820–2009: La Normandie contemporaine, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, Caen, France
Les Recontres d’Arles – Photographie, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, France
6 views of photography, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
Sammlung Lothar Schirmer, Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich, Germany
La Colección 2. La densidad del aire, la levedad de la tierra, TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Tenerife, Spain
Schenkung Thaddeus Ropac, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Mönchsberg, Austria

True North, Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany
Stille Landschaften, Städtische Galerie Lüdenscheid, Lüdenscheid, Germany
Objectivités, la photographie à Dusseldorf, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France
two, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
How to look at Venice?, Galleria Contemporaneo, Venice, Italy
BESart – Photography, Museu Coleccao Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal
Pures Wasser – Elementares Motiv der Gegenwartskunst, Kunstverein Villa Streccius, Landau, Germany

Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia
FOTO.KUNST, Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria
berlin_nl, Niederländische Botschaft, Berlin, Germany
Seestücke. Von Max Beckmann bis Gerhard Richter, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany
Less Roses, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon
Tripp and Friends, Galerie ABTart, Stuttgart, Germany

Paisajes, Galerie Arnes y Röpke, Madrid, Spain
Arcadia, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York, United States
Room with a view – The Bouwfonds Art Collection, Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Den Haag, The Netherlands
Peintres de la vie moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
Fotokunst aus 60 Jahren. Kunst aus NRW unterwegs, Flottmann Hallen, Herne,

Angekommen – Die Sammlung im eigenen Haus, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Landschaft als Metapher, Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Kraichtal- Unteröwisheim, Germany
dreamscapes", Aeroplastic contemporary, Brussels, Belgium
The City: Contemporary Views of the Built Environment, Lehman College Art Gallery, New York, United States
Halte Brussels, Vlaams-Nederlands Huis, Brussels, Belgium
Flight 405, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut / Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
XL Photographs, Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York "Memoria y Tiempo", Fundació Foto Colectania, Barcelona, Spain
Vagues II – Hommages et digressions / Waves II – Homages and Digressions, Musée Malraux, Le Havre, France
Art History: Photography References Paintings, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York HSL-Projecten, Den Haag, The Netherlands

Dialog im Bunker I. Sublime Landschaften, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim Beaufort 01, Oostende, Belgium

Aus Dusseldorf, Baronian_Francey Gallery, Brussels, Bergium
In Szne gesetzt – Architektur in der Fotografie der Gegenwart, ZKM Karlsruhe / Städtische Galerie Erlangen / Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren
HEUTE BIS JETZT. Zeitgenössische Fotografie aus Dusseldorf, museum kunst palast, Dusseldorf, Germany
10 young german artists", Galerie de Zaal, Delft, The Netherlands
MOVING PICTURES, Guggenheim Museum, New York / Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain
Now, what is photo, Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
Zwischen Konstruktion & Wirklichkeit, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen, Germany
From Pop to Now, Tang-Museum, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
Photobiennale Moscow, House of Photography, Moscow, Russia

Christina Doll, Elger Esser, Michael van Ofen, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany
Ohne Zögern/without hesitation – Die Sammlung Olbricht Teil 2, Museum für Moderne Kunst Weserburg, Bremen, Germany
From the Dark Room, Michael Hue-Williams Fine Art, London, England
Images u Centre_01, Centre des monuments nationaux, Paris, France

The Sea and the Sky, Beaver College Art Gallery, Glenside / Royal Hibernian Academy, Dublin, Ireland
Friesland is…, Friesmuseum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
Landscapes – Portraits, Michael Hue Williams Fine Art, London, England
Retrospective, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States

Insight Out – Landschaft und Interieur als Thema zeitgenössischer Photographie, Kunstraum Innsbruck / Kunsthaus Baselland / Kunsthaus Hamburg
Views from the Edge of the World, Marlborough Gallery, New York, United States
Landschaften, De Vleeshal, Middelburg, The Netherlands
VISA", Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany
Landschaften, Galerie Carolin Lindig, Nürnberg, Germany
Lawrence Beck, Elger Esser, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, United States
Biennale della Fotografia, Fondazione Italiana per la Fotografia, Torino, Italy

Landschaftsbilder, Städtische Galerie Tuttlingen, Tuttlingen, Germany
Umgebung und Aussicht, Galerie Cora Hölzl / Galerie Lisi Hämmerle, Bregenz, Austria
When season becomes form, Kulturallianzen, Cologne, Germany

Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, NY, United States
Artium - Basque Museum Center of Contemporary Art, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Brooklyn Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States
Centre Pompidou, Musée National d’Art Moderne, Paris, France
CNAP - Centre National des Arts Plastiques, Paris, France
DZ Bank Kunstsammlung, Frankfurt, Germany
FNAC - Fonds National d’Art Contemporain, Paris, France
Fundació Foto Colectania, Barcelona, Spain
Hall Art Foundation, Reading, VT, United States
HBC Global Art Collection, New York, NY, United States
Huis Marseille Stichting voor Fotografie, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Kunsthalle Würth, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany
Kunstwerk - Sammlung Peter Klein, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany
Landesgalerie am Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseum, Linz, Austria
LVR - Landesmuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, United States
MUMOK - Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria
Munich Re Art Collection, Munich, Germany
Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Kleve, Germany
PEAC - Paul Ege Art Collection, Freiburg i.B., Germany
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Sammlung Arthur de Ganay, Berlin, Germany
SMS Contemporanea, ex Palazzo Delle Papesse, Siena, Italy
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, United States
Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany
Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany
Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tang Museum at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States