TOMMA ABTS

Early Years

Born in Kiel, Germany, in 1967, Abts studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin from 1988 to 1995, moving to London after her studies. In interviews, Abts has described how her early education in mixed media shaped her approach to painting.

Tomma Abts Artworks

Tomma Abts's artworks are defined by a rigorous, intuitive process that results in complex, illusionistic abstract paintings. Each work is developed without preliminary sketches or source material, emerging gradually through layers of acrylic and oil paint.

Working Process and Signature Style

Abts has worked consistently on canvases measuring 48 x 38 centimetres. Her paintings are built up through a process of layering and overpainting, often leaving visible ridges and traces that record the artwork's evolution. In interviews, she has described how she begins each piece without a preconceived idea, allowing forms to develop organically, guided by intuition and an internal logic. The interplay of shadows, highlights, and three-dimensional effects gives her abstract compositions a sense of depth and movement, while the use of off-kilter, sometimes muted colours with flashes of brilliance further distinguishes her style.

Naming and Series

Abts titles her paintings using a dictionary of first names, selecting each title to match the mood or visual qualities of the finished work. She often works on multiple paintings simultaneously, allowing ideas and visual motifs to migrate across canvases.

Tomma Abts Exhibitions

Abts has been the subject of both solo and group exhibitions at important institutions.

Solo Exhibitions

• Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, 2018.
• Serpentine Gallery, London, 2018.
• Aspen Art Museum, Colorado, 2014.
• Kunsthalle Düsseldorf, 2011.
• New Museum, New York, 2008 (travelled to Hammer Museum, Los Angeles).
• Kunsthalle Basel, 2005.
• The Douglas Hyde Gallery, Dublin, 2005.

Group Exhibitions

• Berlin Biennale, 2006.
• Carnegie International, Pittsburgh, 2004.
• Istanbul Biennial, 2001.

Website and Instagram

Tomma Abts's website can be found here.

Critical Reception

Tomma Abts's practice has been covered in leading magazines, including Frieze, The Art Newspaper, Tate, and Ocula.

FAQ

What is distinctive about Tomma Abts' artworks?

Her paintings are abstract, illusionistic, and meticulously layered, often featuring visible ridges and traces of the painting process.

How does Tomma Abts begin her paintings?

She starts each artwork with no preconceived composition or sketches, allowing forms to emerge through a gradual, intuitive process.

Why are Tomma Abts' paintings always the same size?

Abts works on canvases measuring 48 x 38 centimetres, a format she has maintained throughout her career for consistency and focus.

How does Tomma Abts' choose titles for her paintings?

She selects titles from a dictionary of first names, matching the name to the mood or visual qualities of the finished painting.

What major award has Tomma Abts won?

She won the Turner Prize in 2006, becoming the first female painter to receive the award.

Ocula | 2025