Born in the Silesian town of Oels, now Oleśnica, and growing up in both East and West Germany, Polke was one of the artists of the 1960s who dealt with the collective trauma of the post-war generation. He confronted the political crisis of his time with a genuinely painterly, yet highly analytical approach to reality, with the effect that thirteen years after his death, these supposedly historical works are still highly topical, eerily reflecting today’s conflicts, crises and their representation in the media. Known for his witty mental agility and investigations of the materiality of art, Polke’s entire œuvre bears witness to an inimitable personal and artistic love of freedom, without ever denying his belief in the great communicative relevance of art.