About Thomas Baumgärtel
Thomas Baumgärtel is a German artist who is also known under the pseudonym "banana sprayer". His signature banana graffiti works are reminiscent of the Velvet Underground Banana by Andy Warho. His designs can be found tagged on the entryways of some 4,000 art museums and galleries around the world.
From 1985 to 1990 Baumgärtel studied Fine Arts at the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne. From 1985 to 1995 he studied Psychology at the University of Cologne. In 1996, together with 13 other artists, he founded the CAP Cologne, a collective which today includes about 28 artists. The year 2000 marked the beginning of of multi-colored banana pointillism work. His work combines criticism of the Holocaust and Nazi Imperialism with pop art imagery. Baumgärtel’s work is deeply political, often made in direct response to specific events. He advocates for peace though some of his artwork is highly contentious in nature.In 2018, Baumgärterl's cartoon Turkish Dictator showed Turkish President Erdoğan in a compromising position involving one of the artist’s bananas. After vociferous public outcry Baumgärtel began speaking out against censorship and what he saw as a threat to the freedom of art.
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