Exhibitions
- Sigmar Polke: Die Editionen, Museum Ludwig, Cologne (2009)
- Sigmar Polke, Museum fur Gegenwartskunst Siegen (2007)
- Sigmar Polke: Photographs 1960-2005, Städtische Kunsthalle Mannheim (2006)
- Sigmar Polke: Works & Days, Kunsthaus Zurich (2005)
- Sigmar Polke: History of Everything, Tate Modern, London (2004)
- Sigmar Polke: Original + Fälschung, Rupertinum Salzburg, Salzburg (2003)
- Kunst ist unser Antrieb. Sigmar Polke, Die Gesamten Editionen (1963-2000), Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn (2001)
- Sigmar Polke: Works on Paper, 1963-1974, Museum of Modern Art, New York (1999)
- Sigmar Polke: Schilderijen, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1992)
- Sigmar Polke Bilder: Tücher - Objekte. Werkauswahl 1962-1972, Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen; städtische Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, Stedelijk Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven (1976)
- Original + Fälschung, Städtisches Kunstmuseum (1974)
Public Collections
- Museum der Moderne, Salzburg
- Albertina, Vienna
- Centre Pompidou, Paris
- Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris
- Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin
- Museum Ludwig, Cologne
- Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin
- Kunstmuseum Bonn
- Museum Brandhorst, Munich
- Staatsgalerie Stuttgart
- Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg
- Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich
- Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich
- Kunsthaus Zurich
- Los Angeles Museum of Art
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Tate Britain, London
| 1941 | Born in Oels/Silesia, today Poland |
| 1945 | Flight of the family to Thuringia, GDR |
| 1953 | Emigration to West Berlin, later move to Willich (next to Mönchengladbach), Federal Republic of Germany |
| 1959- 1960 | Apprenticeship as a glass-painter in Düsseldorf Kaiserswerth |
| 1963 | Foundation “Kapitalistischer Realismus”, a painting movement with Gerhard Richter and Konrad (Fischer) Lueg; “Demonstrative Ausstellung” in Düsseldorf with Kuttner, Lueg & Richter |
| 1964 | “Neodada Pop Decollage Kapitalistischer Realismus”, Galerie René Block, Berlin; Awarded with the "Young Germans award" in Baden-Baden together with Klaus Geldmacher and Dieter Krieg |
| 1961- 1967 | Studies at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf with Karl Otto Goetz and Gerhard Hoehme |
| 1972 | Participation in the Documenta 5 in Kassel in the department "individual mythology" |
| 1975 | Awarded with the "prize for painting" of the XIII Bienal de Sao Paulo |
| 1977 | Participation in the Documenta 6 in Kassel |
| 1982 | Participation in the Documenta 7 in Kassel; Participation in the group exhibition "Zeitgeist" |
| 1986 | Awarded with the "Großen Preis" for the painting “Golden Löwen” at the XLII Biennale Venice |
| 1988 | Awarded with the Baden-Wuerttemberg "International Prize for Painting" |
| 1977- 1991 | Professor at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste, Hamburg |
| 1995 | Carnegie Award, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| 1998 | International Center of Photography, Infinity Award for Art; P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, New York |
| 2000 | Kaissering of the city of Goslar |
| 2002 | "Praemium Imperiale" of the Japan Art Association |
| 2002 | Cologne Fine Art prize |
| 2006- 2009 | Five glass windows and seven agate windows for the Zurich Grossmünster in the context of an art competition |
| 2007 | “Rubenspreis” of the city of Siegen |
| 2010 | Swiss Roswitha Hafmann prize for his complete works; Died in Cologne |