Georg Herold was born in Jena in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1947 and was arrested in 1973 while attempting to flee the country. He studied in Hamburg under Sigmar Polke. He has served as a professor at the Kunstakademie Duesseldorf since 1999.
Herold lives and works in Cologne and has recently held solo exhibitions in Los Angeles, Dallas, and Oslo.
Georg Herold uses materials such as roofing slats, caviar, bricks, and buttons in his work, combining anti-aesthetics with the strategic use of luxury products as provocation. His stick figures depict the way civilization has influenced humankind.