Bertram Jesdinsky

Bertram Jesdinsky, born in Bonn, Germany, in 1960, was a multidisciplinary artist whose work spanned film, painting, sculpture and public art and has been widely exhibited in Germany. Rooted in a spirit of experimentation, Jesdinsky explored themes of anarchy, existential reflection, and the interplay between art and public space. His oeuvre reflects an acute engagement with the social and political dynamics of his time, marked by a deeply personal narrative of creative and existential struggle.

Jesdinsky began his artistic journey in 1980, co-founding the Anarchistische Gummizelle (AGZ) with Thorsten Ebeling and Ulrich Sappok in Düsseldorf, with whom they made Super 8 films and visual art interventions in the public space. In 1982, Jesdinsky enrolled at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, studying under Alfonso Hüppi until 1989. His works were featured in prominent solo exhibitions, including a major showcase at the Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren, in 1991. Posthumously, he was honored with a retrospective in 1996 at the Kunstverein Freiburg and the Leopold Hoesch Museum. Other notable exhibitions include the Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf, Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, and Kunst- und Museumsverein Wuppertal. Significant group exhibitions include Kunstlandschaft BRD: Region Düsseldorf at the Badischer Kunstverein (1985), Junger Westen at Kunsthalle Recklinghausen (1986), and Treibhaus IV at Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf (1987). He participated in the II International Biennale of Paper Art in Düren (1989) and Große Kunstausstellung NRW in Düsseldorf (1991) further cemented his reputation as an artist of depth and innovation. Jesdinsky’s contributions remain influential, with his works showcased in exhibitions such as 5 Artists – 5 Rooms at Kunsthalle Barmen in Wuppertal (2005) and the Broska Collection at Kunsthaus Wiesbaden (2016).

Tragically, Bertram Jesdinsky took his own life on April 21, 1992.