 (b. 1967) is known for her complex paintings and drawings that, while abstract, are nevertheless illusionistic, rendered with sharp attention to details—such as shadows, three-dimensional effects, and highlights—that defy any single, realistic light source.

Born in Kiel, Germany, Abts studied at the Hochschule der Künste, in Berlin, from 1988 to 1995. Abts’s work has been the subject of major international exhibitions, most recently, in 2018, at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Serpentine Gallery, London. Other prominent institutions that have presented solo shows of the artist’s work include the Aspen Art Museum, Colorado (2014); Kunsthalle Düsseldorf (2011); New Museum, New York (2008; traveled to the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles); Kunsthalle Basel (2005); and the Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin (2005). Abts’s work has also been included in major international exhibitions such as the Berlin Biennale (2006); Carnegie International, Pittsburgh (2004); and Istanbul Biennial (2001), among others.

In 2006, Abts was the recipient of the prestigious Turner Prize, awarded by the Tate, United Kingdom. The artist has been represented by David Zwirner since 2005, and received her debut exhibition at the gallery in New York in 2008. In 2014, Abts presented a new body of work at David Zwirner, New York. It coincided with

, the inaugural exhibition at the new Aspen Art Museum in Colorado, which surveyed the artist's extensive drawing practice, showcasing over forty works from 1996 to the present. The artist’s third solo presentation with the gallery was on view at David Zwirner, New York, in 2019.

The artist’s work is represented in public collections internationally, including the Art Institute of Chicago; Baltimore Museum of Art; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Museum of Modern Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Staatsgalerie Stuttgart; Tate, United Kingdom; and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Since 1995, Abts has lived and worked in London.

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An installation view of the exhibition, Tomma Abts, at David Zwirner in New York, dated 2019.

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Read more about Tomma Abts, including excerpts from selected press articles and publications.

Tomma Abts - Selected Press

Art Review, review by Mark Prince

Tomma Abts in Berlin

Evening Standard, article by Jessie Thompson

Exhibitions in London: From Frida Kahlo to Michael Jackson, the best art and museum shows to see this summer

The Telegraph, review by Louisa Buck

Tomma Abts' enigmatic abstracts

Artsy, review by Karen Kedmey

At Crown Point Press, Tomma Abts Prints Like She Paints

Artforum, review by Lloyd Wise

Tomma Abts at David Zwirner

Art Observed, review by D. Creahan

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Tomma Abts

Oeje

Dako

Lüko

Lüür

Wybe

Voke

Untitled #6

Untitled #5

Hebo

Feke

Ihne

Jeles

Bilte

Isko

Teite

Feio

Schwero

Thiale

Teete

Epko

Zaarke

View a selection of works by Tomma Abts, who is known for her complex paintings and drawings, the subject of which is ultimately the process of their creation. 

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Tomma Abts - Artworks & Biography

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