About the Artist
Karsten Thormaehlen
Karsten Thormaehlen (b. 1965 - ) is a German photographer, editor and creative director. He currently lives in Wiesbaden. Thormaehlen was born into a family with many influential personalities of Germany's 20th century art scene, including his grandfather's friendship with Edvard Munch and Erich Heckel, a member of the expressionist artist's group Brucke. Thormaehlen grew up in Bad Kreuznach and Bingen am Rhein. After a commercial apprenticeship and civilian service he studied Philosophy, Art History, Political science and Graphic Design in Mainz and Wiesbaden, where he graduated with honors in 1993. Between 1994 and 1998 he worked as an art director and photographer for a German owner-managed advertising agency in New York City, where he developed advertising campaigns and directed TV-commercials. He is most known for his book project of photograph portraits of centenarians and their quotes, titled Aging Gracefully: Portraits of People Over 100.
