Markus Lüpertz is one of the most influential figures in postwar German painting and sculpture. Born in 1941 in Reichenberg, then Czechoslovakia (now Liberec, Czech Republic), he grew up in Germany and studied at the Werkkunstschule in Krefeld and later at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. Emerging in the late 1960s, Lüpertz became a central voice in the development of Neo-Expressionism, known for his powerful, expressive style and engagement with both classical and modern artistic traditions.