Hans Peter Kolb

H.P. Kolb is a German artist whose artistic career spans more than four decades – from his early oil paintings in his great-uncle’s studio, through three decades as a pioneer of digital art and photomanipulation, to an impressive return to painting in 2024.
As a commercial artist, Kolb created illustrations and visual concepts for internationally renowned companies such as BASF, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens and Heidelberger Druck. In 1990, he was part of the first generation of artists to embrace digital tools and became a pioneer of Photoshop retouching at a time when the technology was still in its infancy. For three decades, the screen was his canvas – a space in which he explored fantastical worlds and the fluid fusion of humans, animals and nature.
When artificial intelligence began to produce within minutes what once required weeks of skill and dedication, Kolb made a conscious decision: to return to his roots. Back to oil painting. Back to the physical, the irreducible, the unmistakable.
His current style lies at the intersection of visionary Neo-Expressionism and Abstract Expressionism – incorporating elements of Surrealism and his own distinctive visual language. Kolb works with oil paint on canvas, often using a palette knife –...

- Early artistic formation in the studio of his great-uncle, with a focus on oil painting
- Decades of professional practice in illustration, visual communication, and digital art
- Pioneer of digital image manipulation and Photoshop retouching from 1990 onwards
- Continuous self-directed study in painting techniques, surrealism, and contemporary art
- Return to classical oil painting in 2024, with intensive experimentation in palette knife technique

Commercial work for internationally recognized brands including BASF, Mercedes-Benz, Siemens, and Heidelberger Druck
Pioneer of digital art and Photoshop retouching in Germany from 1990