BIOGRAPHY
Hans “Jimmy” Giebeler
Through art, we revive
Born in the “year zero” at the Second World War’s end, the artist Jimmy Giebeler came of age at a time when to be alive was to question your life’s meaning; a global existential crisis that turned personal when the war took both of Jimmy’s parents in 1945.
Raised by his maternal grandfather and educated abroad, the dread that Jimmy was born into only grew. How could one make sense of an existence in which beauty and horror coincide? Was it heartless to try and seek pleasure—happiness even—in such a world?
After years of inner searching, Jimmy decided to give an existential ‘yes’ to life. He started traveling widely—Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, India all the way to Tibetan monasteries in Kashmir—and it was during these travels that he realized his vocation as a translator of splendor.
Whether it was a piece of raw meat that conjured voluptuousness and darkness, a herd of horses galloping through a fiery city, or a naked woman reading on a bed, through art, Jimmy could make sense of the world’s beauty and contend with its mistakes.
Today, Jimmy lives on a horse ranch at the pacific coast in Mexico, training polo-ponies, where he finds inspiration for new pieces every day. Cities, horses, women and floral still lifes are reoccurring subjects in his work, as are auto-portraits. Best known for his large format paintings, but equally comfortable with smaller formats and sculptures, to view a Jimmy Giebeler is to contend with the undeniable beauty of a terrifying world.
Key Life Events
1944 Born in Wegberg, Germany
1945 Both parents die in World War II, maternal grandfather takes over Giebeler’s education
1958/63 Attends grammar schools in Germany, Switzerland and Austria
1964 Enters the "Arts Décoratifs" art school in Strasbourg
1965/69 Lives, travels and works in France, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Iran,
Afghanistan, India, Nepal.
1970 Settles in Aix en Provence, France
1971 First group exhibition at the Gallery "La Tâche," Aix en Provence
1972 Creates bronze sculptures in Miguel Berrocal’s foundry in Verona, Italy
1973 Famed Belgian collector Stephane Janssen starts buying Giebeler’s art and sculptures
1974 Exposes work at the "Espace Cardin" in Paris
1977 Paints a 60m2 mural in Pontoise, France
1981 First solo show at the Gallery "Arvil", Mexico
1982 The "Bush Reisinger" museum of Harvard University includes one of Giebeler’s paintings
in its permanent collection of German art
1983 Paints a 70m2 mural at Château Giscours, France, commissioned the Tari family.
1984 Creates several commissioned posters for Rolex which are used at USPA polo events
around the world and on the cover of sporting magazines throughout the USA
1991 Solo show at the Gallery Etienne de Causans, Paris
1993 The French art critic, Pascal Bonafoux, writes a book dedicated to Giebeler’s work
1994 Solo show of 30 “Le Perche” landscapes at the Espace Demours, Paris, sponsored by
Syseca Thomson
1995 Solo show at the gallery Notices, Singapore sponsored by Syseca Thomson
1996 Solo show at the gallery Casa Lamm, Mexico City sponsored by Syseca Thomson
1999 Group exhibition at the Kulturtage Bonn-Meckenheim, Germany?
2000 Group exhibition the Careyes Art Space Gallery, Costa Careyes, Mexico
2000 Solo show at the Joelle Mortier Valat gallery, Paris
2003 Solo show, Espace Ricard, Paris
2004 Group show "Arte en mi casa" de Lorenca Corcuera, Mexico
2005 Solo show, El Ciruelo, Tepoztlan, Mexico
2006 Solo show at the gallery Florencia Riestra, Mexico City
2009 Group exhibition the Careyes Art Space Gallery, Costa Careyes, Mexico
2011-12 Design and construction of a seaside home and art studio in Chamela, Mexico
2016 Solo show in Mexico City, curated by Karen Huber.
2019 Solo show Mexico city coming up