Elger ESSER

Elger Esser is a Franco-German photographer whose internationally acclaimed work is held in major collections such as the Guggenheim in New York and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  A student of Bernd and Hilla Becher at the Kunstakademie of Düsseldorf, he terminated his studies with them as soon as he discovered the landscape.  With his large format camera, he travels around the world photographing and capturing timeless landscapes, where neither the human figure nor its imprint are visible.  If his choice of subject matter is in contrast to his artistic education, he remains loyal to the teachings of Bernd Becher in his encyclopedic approach.  Beyond a description of reality, the image, built on art historical references, begins as a concept; the photograph itself appears only as a technological product, a tool used to connect visually with the emotional and the poetic.  Esser’s photographs, testimonies which bridge the historical and the remembered, are inspired by the writings of Proust, Flaubert, and Maupassant.  He draws on the nineteenth century not only for its literary and pictorial inspirations, but also as a source of techniques to be experimented with and reinvented (heliogravure, copperplate).

Born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1967; Lives and works in Düsseldorf, Germany

2012                                                                                                                                                                               
Fellowship Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK), Institute for Advanced Study, Delmenhorst, Germany.
2006-2009                                                                                                                                                                                 
Photography Professor at the University of Art and Design, Karlsruhe, Germany.
Visiting Professor at the Folkwang Hochschule of Essen, Germany.
1991-1997
Masterclass, Academy of Fine Arts, Düsseldorf, Germany.
 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS (selection)

2023

- Voyages, ROSEGALLERY, Santa Monica, CA

- Photographie sur cuivre, Musée d'art moderne de Fontevraud, France

2022

- Elger Esser. Silberblumen, Flowers Gallery, Hong Kong.

2021
- Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.

2020
- Inherent Time, Bruce Silverstein, New-York, USA.
- 12 Rooms ELGER ESSER, Kewenig Gallery, Berlin, Germany.
- Grey le Gray, Van der Grinten Gallery, Cologne, Germany.
- En somme, j’ai vu de l’eau, du soleil, des nuages…, Museum of the Sea, Cannes, France.

2019
- De Sérignant à Giverny, Tour46, Belfort, France.
- Morgenland, Fernet Branca Foundation, Saint-Louis, France.
- Entre temps et durée, Galerie RX, Paris, France.

2018
- Elger Esser, Paysages intimes, Van der Grinten, Cologne, Germany.
- Elger Esser, Paysages intimes, Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
- Elger Esser, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- Le Nil sur la Loire, Domain of Chaumont, Chaumont sur Loire, France.
- Elger Esser, Galerie Kewenig, Berlin, Germany.
- Elger Esser, Galerie RX, EXPO Chicago, USA.

2017
- Paris photo 2017 soloshow, Galerie Rx, Paris, France
- Le Nil sur la Loire, Domaine de Chaumont, Chaumont sur Loire, France
- El tiempo en suspenso, Valladolid, Spain
- Morgenland, galerie Kewenig, Berlin, Germany
- Schirmer/Mosel Showroom, Munich, Germany
- De Sublime, Stelline Foundation, Milan, Italy
- Delfts Blauw, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands
- Morgenland. Parasol unit foundation for contemporary art, London, UK.
- Mix, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Aetas, Landesgalerie Linz, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Linz, Autriche.

2016
- Zeitigen, Oskar Schlemer State Prize, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany.
- From Shivta to Lifta, Loushy Art & Projects, Tel Aviv, Israel.

2015
- Irides, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Cabinet de travail, Katz Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland.
- New Works, Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
- Australian Journal, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.

2014
- Ninfa, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.
- Combray, The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, USA.
- L’âge d’or, Kewenig Galerie, Berlin, Germany.
- Ab Olympo, Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- Elger Esser, Fundació Palma Espai d'art, Casal Solleric, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
- Saeculum Aureum, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.

2013
- Heliogravue, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Nocturnes à Giverny, Pôle Image Haute-Normandie, Rouen, France.
- Giverny, Heliogravuren, Schirmer/Mosel Showroom, Munich, Germany.
- Meseglise, Institut für moderne Kunst Nürnberg, Nuremberg, Germany.
- Elger Esser, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.

2012
- Stille Wellen, Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.
- Elger Esser, Galería Kewenig, Palma de Mallorca, Espagne.
- Katz Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- Leichte Weite, LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

2011
- Voyage en Egypte, Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.
- Landscapes and heliogravures, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Et nous avons des nuits plus belles que vos jours, Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Voyage en Egypte, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Nocturnes, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France.
- Arc, Lys et Douville. Neue Heliogravuren, Kunstforum Baloise, Basel, Switzerland.

2010
- Neue Werke, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Landschaften - Veduten - Ansichten – Heliogravüren, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany.
- Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.
- Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem, Netherlands.
- Galería Fúcares, Madrid, Spain.
- Photobiennial Moscow, Exhibition Hall New Manege, Moscow, Russia.

2009
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Six American sunsets, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Galleria Bonomo, Bari, Italy.
- Saone and Rhone, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France.
- New Works, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.

2008
- Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany.
- Combray, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Französische Landschaften, FO.KU.S - Foto Kunst Stadtforum – Innsbruck, Austria.
- Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- Rose Gallery, Los Angeles, USA.

2007
- Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, USA.
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany.
- Combray, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France.

2006
- Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.
- Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea.
- Musée de la Cohue, Vannes, France.
- Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee, USA.
- Am Strand, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Neue Werke, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Galería Fúcares, Madrid, Spain.

2005   
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany.
- Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- New Works, Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Paris, France.

2004
- Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany.
- Fondation Herzog, Basel, Switzerland.
- New Works, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.

2003
- Kunsthalle Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany.    
- Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.

2002
- Galleria Alessandra Bonomo, Rome, Italy.
- Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hamburg, Germany.
- How to see Venice, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France.
- Palazzo delle Papesse, Centro Arte Contemporanea, Siena, Italy.

2001
- Galerie Johnen & Schöttle, Cologne, Germany.
- Elger Esser, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Salzburg, Austria.
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, Etats-Unis.
- Galleria d'Arte Moderna, Villa delle Rose, Bologna, Italy.

2000
- Alte Feuerwache Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.   
- Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.
- Galerie Inge Friebe, Lüdenscheid, Germany.
- Galerie 213, Paris, France.
- Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.

1999
- Sonnabend Gallery, New York, USA.
- Galerie Andreas Grimm, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
- NEG-gallery, Milan, Italy.

1998
- Kunstverein Siegen, Siegen, France.
- Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Kulturforum Alte Post, Neuss, Germany.
- Galerie Inge Friebe, Lüdenscheid, Germany.
- Galerie 213, Paris, France.

1997
- Galerie Andreas Grimm, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
- Kunstverein Hagen, Hagen, Germany.

1995
- Kulturbahnhof Eller, Düsseldorf, Germany.
 

EXPOSITIONS COLLECTIVES (sélection)

2021
- Focus On Photography, Galerie Rüdiger Schöttle, Munich, Germany.
- Into the Blue, Rosegallery, Santa Monica, United States. - Aufbruch in die 2020er Jahre, Galerie Schlichtenmaier, Schloss Dätzingen, Grafenau, Germany.
- Groups and Spots Zeitgenössische Kunst bei der Baloise, Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf, Switzerland.
- „Photography!“ - Meisterwerke aus dem SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen, Stiftung Saarländischer Kulturbesitz, Saarbrücken, Saarlandmuseum, Moderne Galerie, Germany.

2020
- Mr. Brainwash and Kitzbuehel Autumn Crossover, Frank Fluegel Gallery, Kitzbuehel, Austria.
- Loosely Stated, Rose Gallery, Santa Monica, USA.
- The Armory Show, Bruce Silverstein, New-York, USA.
- ARCOmardid, Kewenig Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
- Die Illusion der Realität, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Mediations Biennial Polska, Warsow, Poland.
- NÄHE – FERNE, Cosar HMT, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Blue, Loushy Art and Projects, Tel Aviv, Israel.
- Seria Gracioso, TEA Las Catalinas, Tenerife, Spain.
- The Sonnabend Collection, Remai Modern, Saskatoon, Canada.

2019
- L’invention d’un monde – Photographies des collections Robelin, FRAC – Auvergne, Clermont Ferrand, France.
- Zwischen Nahe und Distanz : Konstruktion von Wirklichkeiten. Von Goya bis Picasso, Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- The Moment is Eternity – Works from the Olbricht Collection, me Collectors Room, Berlin, Germany.
- As Far as the Eye Can See, Museum Würth, Künzelsau, Germany.
- Light Sensitive 2: Photography from the Schaufler Collection, Schauwerk Sindelfingen, Germany.
- Paris Photo, Galerie RX, Grand Palais, Paris, France.
- Œuvres Choisies, Galerie RX, Paris, France.
- Elger Esser and Raymond Depardon, Galerie RX, Paris, France.

2018
- Œuvres Choisies, Galerie RX, Paris, France.
- Eau et Vin, Museum Kurhaus Kleve, Kleve, Germany.
- Bernd, Hilla et les autres, HUIS MARSEILLE, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Chambres des Autres II, Villa Steccius, Landau, Germany.
- The pulse of the body, Bombas Gens, Valencia, Spain.
- Enfesselte Natur, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hambourg, Germany.
- It comes in waves, Galerie Thaddeus Ropac, Paris, France.
- The Sonnabend Collection: Half a Century of European and American Art. Part II, Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Porto, Portugal.
- Gest 2018, Binary / Non-Binary, Geste Paris, France.
- Photo stories, Galerie Tanit, Munich, Germany.
- A Look at the Collection: Landscape – Transformation – Space, SK Stiftung Kultur, Cologne, Germany.

2017
- Wiesenstück, Van der Grinten Gallery, Cologne, Germany.
- Esser.McCaw.Mann.Wylie, Neal Guma Fine Arts, Charlottesville, USA.
- Nouvelle Photographie de Duessoldorf, Galerie RX, Paris, France.
- Déjeuner sur l'herbe, Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Paris, France.
- Luther und die Avantgarde. Zeitgenössische Kunst in Wittenberg, Berlin and Kassel. Altes Gefängnis, Wittenberg, Germany.
- On Escape and Concurrence: Inverting the Gaze. Espaço Novo Banco, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Water, Clouds, Wind. Kunsthalle Würth, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany.
- Split - Mirror. Light. Reflection. SCHAUWERK Sindelfingen, Germany.
- I Prefer Life. Reydan Weiss Collection. Exhibition on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Weserburg, Bremen, Germany.

2016
- Langmatt, Licht, Libellen - Impressionismus heute, Museum Langmatt, Baden, Germany.
- Aus der Sammlung: Landschaft. Landesgalerie Linz, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Linz, Austria.
- Der typologische Blick - Ausstellung für Hilla Becher, Photographische Sammlung/SK Stiftung für Kultur, Cologne, Germany.
- Winter Group Show 16, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Paris Photo, Galerie RX, Paris, France.
- Winter, Galerie RX, Paris, France.

2015
- Fascination Photography, Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg / Vienna, Austria.
- Déjà-vu in der Fotokunst, ART FOYER, DZ BANK Art Collection, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Dusseldorf Photography: Bernd & Hilla Becher and Beyond, Ben Brown Fine Arts, London, UK.
- The Mirror of Illusions, Galerie Tanit, Munich, Germany.
- Photographier les jardins de Monet, Cinq regards contemporains. Almond · Esser · Foucault · Plossu · Shore.
 Musée des impressionnismes, Giverny, France.
- Baywatch, Galerie Hartwich, Rügen, Germany.

2014
- Los Bragales. Pasión y fotografía de una colección, Centro de Arte Juan Ismael, Puerto del Rosario, Fuerteventura, Spain.
- Home (Very) Sweet Home, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris Pantin, France.
- Una Colección Basada En La Naturaleza Y El Medio Ambiente, Colección MP de Arte Contemporáneo, Seville, Spain.
- Temporary living, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- One Wor,. The Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum, Saratoga Springs, USA.
- Los Bragales. Pasión y fotografía de una colección, Centro de Arte La Regenta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
- Human Landscape, Dominik Mersch Gallery, Sydney, Australia.

2013
- Vacatio. Fotografia - Festival Internazionale di Roma, MACRO, Rome, Italy.
- Old school. Anachronism in Contemporary Art, Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
- Ghosting Machine, Delmar Gallery, Sydney, Australia.
- Tour d'horizon – Landscapes, Katz Contemporary, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Land in Sight! Landscapes from the Collection, Museum der Moderne Mönchsberg, Salzbourg, Austria.
- Landmark: The Fields of Photography, Somerset House, Londres, UK.
- Disaster - The End of Days, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, Paris, France.
- Wetterdämmerung - ein Blick zurück, Sammlung Alison und Peter W. Klein, Eberdingen-Nussdorf, Germany.
- Kalte Rinden - Seltene Erden, Städtische Galerie Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany.

2012
- Im Schein des Unendlichen - Romantik und Gegenwart, Altana Kulturstiftung, Sinclair-Haus, Bad Homburg, Germany.
- Fotografia Contemporanea Tedesca La Scuola di Düsseldorf, Galleria Alberto Peola, Turin, Italy.
- Religion und Riten, DZ Bank Kunstsammlung. Art Foyer, Frankfurt, Germany.
- Kalte Rinden - Seltene Erden, Märkisches Museum Witten / Stadtmuseum, Hattingen, Germany.

2011
- Les Territoires du désir ou les métamorphoses d’un musée imaginaire, Musée d’Art moderne André Malraux - MuMa, Le Havre, France.
- Lichtempfindlich - Zeitgenössische Fotografie aus der Sammlung Schaufler, Schauwerk Sindelfingen, Sindelfingen, Germany.
- Within / Beyond Borders, Byzantine & Christian Museum, Athens, Greece.
- Welt-(er)-findung, zeitgenössische Photographie - Collection Olbricht. Kunsthaus Villa Jauss, Oberstdorf, Germany.

2010
- Der rote Bulli: Stephan Shore und die neue Düsseldorfer Fotografie, NRW-Forum Kultur und Wirtschaft, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Viaggio in Italia, sguardi internazionali sull’Italia contemporanea. Palazzo Fabroni, Pistoia Collezioni
- Contemporanee, sms santa maria della scala, Siena, Italy.
- Konstellationen, Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig, Vienna, Austria. 

2009
- Tago-Mago, Galería Fúcares, Almagro, Spain.
- Siedlungen und Wohnanlagen 1858–1937, Stadtmuseum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Voyages pittoresques, 1820–2009: La Normandie contemporaine, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, Caen, France. 
- Les Rencontres d’Arles – Photographie, Abbaye de Montmajour, Arles, France.
- 6 views of photography, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Sammlung Lothar Schirmer, Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich, Germany.
- Schenkung Thaddeus Ropac, Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Mönchsberg, Austria.
- La Colección 2. La densidad del aire, la levedad de la tierra., TEA Tenerife Espacio de las Artes, Tenerife, Spain.

2008
- True North, Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany.
- Städtische Galerie Lüdenscheid, Lüdenscheid, Germany.
- Objectivités, la photographie à Düsseldorf, Musée d’Art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France.
- Two, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- How to look at Venice?, Galleria Contemporaneo, Venice, Italy.
- BESart – Photography, Museu Coleccao Berardo, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Pures Wasser – Elementares Motiv der Gegenwartskunst, Kunstverein Villa Streccius, Landau, Germany.

2007
- Guggenheim Collection: 1940s to Now, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
- FOTO.KUNST., Essl Museum, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
- Berlin nl. Niederländische Botschaft, Berlin, Germany.
- Seestücke. Von Max Beckmann bis Gerhard Richter, Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg, Germany.
- Less Roses, Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon.
- Tripp and Friends, Galerie ABTart, Stuttgart, Germany.

2006
- Paisajes, Galerie Arnes y Röpke, Madrid, Spain.
- Arcadia, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York, USA.
- Room with a view – The Bouwfonds Art Collection - Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, La Haye, Pays-Bas.
- Peintres de la vie moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France.
- Fotokunst aus 60 Jahren. Kunst aus NRW unterwegs, Flottmann Hallen, Herne, Belgium.

2005
- Angekommen – Die Sammlung im eigenen Haus, Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Landschaft als Metapher. Ursula Blickle Stiftung, Kraichtal-Unteröwisheim, Germany.
- Dreamscapes - Aeroplastic contemporary, Brussels, Belgium.
- The City: Contemporary Views of the Built Environment, Lehman College Art Gallery, New York, USA.
- Halte Brussels - Vlaams-Nederlands Huis, Brussels, Belgium.
- Flight 405 - Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut / Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Hambourg, Germany.
- XL Photographs - Barbara Mathes Gallery, New York, USA.
- Memoria y Tiempo. Fundació Foto Colectania, Barcelona, Spain.

2004
- Vagues II – Hommages et digressions / Waves II – Homages and Digressions. Musée Malraux, Le Havre, France.
- Art History: Photography References Paintings, Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York, USA.
- HSL-Projecten, The Hague, Netherlands.

2003
- Dialog im Bunker I. Sublime Landschaften, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany.
- Beaufort 01, Oostende, Belgium.

2002
- Aus Düsseldorf, Baronian_Francey Gallery, Brussels, Belgium.
- In Szene gesetzt – Architektur in der Fotografie der Gegenwart, ZKM Karlsruhe / Städtische Galerie Erlangen / Kunsthaus Kaufbeuren, Germany.
- HEUTE BIS JETZT. Zeitgenössische Fotografie aus Düsseldorf, Museum Kunst Palast, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- 10 young German artists, Galerie de Zaal, Delft, Netherlands.
- Moving Pictures, Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA / Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain.
- Now, what is photo, Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea.
- Zwischen Konstruktion & Wirklichkeit, Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aix-la-Chapelle, France.
 

COLLECTIONS

- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, USA.
- Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
- Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, USA.
- Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
- Stiftung Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Kunsthaus Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Fonds national d’art contemporain, Paris, France.
- Centre Pompidou, Paris, France.
- Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany.
- Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany.
- Museum der Moderne Salzburg, Salzbourg, Austria.
- Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien, Vienna, Austria.
- DZ Bank Kunstsammlung, Frankfurt, Germany.
- SMS Contemporanea, ex Palazzo Delle Papesse, Siena, Italy.
- Fundació Foto Colectania, Barcelona, Spain.
- LVR-LandesMuseum Bonn, Germany.
- Huis Marseille, Amsterdam,Netherlands.
- Tang Museum at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, USA.
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA.
- Landesgalerie Linz, Austria.
- Brooklyn Museum, New York, USA.
- Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf, Switzerland.
- Kunsthalle, Karlsruhe, Germany.
- Museum Kurhaus, Cleve, Germany.
 

PUBLICATIONS

2017
- Elger Esser. Morgenland. Schirmer/Mosel, Munich, Germany.

2016
- Elger Esser. Combray, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.
- Elger Esser. Zeitigen, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.

2012
- Elger Esser. Nocturnes à Giverny, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.

2009
- Elger Esser. Eigenzeit, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.
- Elger Esser. Wrecks. Self-published, Düsseldorf, Germany.
- Chronik, edition of the author/University of Art and Design, Karlsruhe, Germany.

2008
- Elger Esser. Anisichten/Views/Vues, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.

2006
- Elger Esser and Bae Bien-U. Gana Art Center, the 6th Photo Festival, Gana Art Publisher, Seoul, Korea.

2002
- Elger Esser. Cap d’Antifer-Etretat, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.
- Olivo Barbieri – Elger Esser : Cityscapes / Landscapes, Silvana Editoriale Spa, Cinisello Balsamo, Milan, Italy.

2001
- Marne + Loire, Edizioni Pendragon, Bologna, Italy.

2000
- Elger Esser. Vedutas and Landscapes, Schirmer/Mosel Verlag, Munich, Germany.
 

AWARDS

2016
- Oskar-Schlemmer Prize.