| 1967 | • born in stuttgart, lives in düsseldorf |
| 1969-86 | • grown up in rome, deutsche schule rome |
| 1991-97 | • kunstacademie düsseldorf by prof. bernd becher |
| 1996 | • meisterschüler |
| 2006-09 | • professor of photography at the university of arts and design, karlsruhe |
| 2008 | • visiting professor of photography at the folkwangschule, essen |
| 2011 | • european master of fine art photography, instituto europeo madrid |
Solo-Exhibitions
| 1995 | • kulturbahnhof eller, with m.koch projektausstellung siedlungen, düsseldorf |
| 1997 | • andreas grimm galerie, palma |
| • kunstverein, hagen | |
| 1998 | • kunstverein siegen (catalogue) |
| • galerie de zaal, delft, with michel sauer | |
| • alte post neuss (catalogue) | |
| • galerie inge friebe, lüdenscheid | |
| • galerie 123, paris | |
| • kunstraum düsseldorf, with barbara meisner | |
| 1999 | • ileana sonnabend gallery new york |
| • andreas grimm galerie, palma | |
| • neg gallery, milano | |
| 2000 | • alte feuerwache mannheim, with sigune sievi |
| • galerie rüdiger schöttle, münchen | |
| • galerie inge friebe, lüdenscheid | |
| • galerie 123, paris | |
| • galerie de zaal, delft | |
| 2001 | • galerie johnen & schöttle, köln, with candice breitz |
| • thaddaeus ropac, salzburg | |
| • ileana sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • michel hue-williams, london | |
| • galleria d'arte moderna villa delle rose, bologna | |
| • image au centre, chateau de sully s/loire | |
| 2002 | • galleria alessandra bonomo, roma |
| • galerie sfeir semler, hamburg | |
| • thaddaeus ropac, paris | |
| • palazzo delle papesse, siena, with olivo barbieri (catalogue) | |
| 2003 | • kunsthalle rostock galerie |
| • rüdiger schöttle, münchen | |
| • galerie johnen & schöttle, köln | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • schirmer/mosel, münchen, cap d'antifer-étretat | |
| 2004 | • galerie de zaal, delft, with christina doll |
| • galerie sfeir-semler, hamburg | |
| • sammlung herzog fondation herzog, basel, with felice beato | |
| 2005 | • galleria alessandra bonomo, roma |
| • galerie johnen + schöttle, kö | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg | |
| 2006 | • galerie rüdiger schöttle, münchen |
| • galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg | |
| • galerie de zaal, delft, with michel sauer | |
| • galeria fucares, madrid | |
| • haggerty museum, milwaukee, usa | |
| • gana art center, seoul, korea, with bae bien-u | |
| 2007 | • galeria thaddaeus ropac, paris |
| • galerie sfeir-semler, hamburg | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • norton museum of art, west palm beach, usa | |
| 2008 | • galleria alessandra bonomo, roma |
| • rose gallery, santa monica, usa | |
| • fo.ku.s-foto kunst stadtforum-innsbruck | |
| 2009 | • kunstmuseum stuttgart, stuttgart |
| • galerie thaddaeus ropac, paris | |
| • galleria bonomo, bari, italy | |
| • dominik mersch gallery, sydney | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| 2010 | • galleria thaddaeus ropac, salzburg |
| • galerie sfeir-semler, hamburg | |
| • galerie rüdiger schöttle, munich | |
| • museum voor moderne kunst, arnhem | |
| • galerie fucares, madrid | |
| • photobiennale moscow, exhibition hall new manege | |
| 2011 | • kunstforum baloise, basel |
| • nocturnes, galerie thaddaeus ropac, paris | |
| • voyage en egypte, sfeir-semler gallery, beirut | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • dominik mersch gallery, sydney | |
| • rose gallery, santa monica | |
| 2012 | • katz contemporary, zürich |
| • stille wellen, landesmuseum oldenburg | |
| • galeria kewenig, palma de mallorca | |
| • lichte weite, landesmuseum, bonn | |
| 2013 | • sonnabend gallery, new york |
| • institut für moderne kunst, nürnberg | |
| • méséglise, with thomas zitzwitz, galerie de zaal, delft | |
| • nocturnes à giverny, pôle image haute-normandie, rouen | |
| 2014 | • kewenig galerie, berlin |
| • galerie rüdiger schöttle, munich | |
| • the tlorida tuseum of thotographic trts, tampa, usa | |
| • galleria alessandra bonomo, rome | |
| • fundació palma espai d'art, casal solleric, palma de mallorca | |
| • sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| 2015 | • nocturnes à giverny, galerie photo du pôle image, rouen |
| • irides, galerie thaddaeus ropac, salzburg | |
| • rose gallery, santa monica | |
| • ninfa, galerie rüdiger schöttle, munich | |
| • australian journal, dominik mersch gallery, sydney | |
| • cabinet de travail, katz contemporary, zurich | |
| 2016 | • from shivta to lifta, loushy art & projects, tel aviv |
| • zeitigen, oskar schlemmer state prize, staatliche kunsthalle karlsruhe | |
| 2017 | • aetas, landesgalerie linz, museum of modern and contemporary art, linz |
| • delfts blauw, galerie de zaal, delft |
Group Exhibitions
| 1996 | • auslöser, düsseldorf |
| 1998 | • landschaftsbilder, stadt. galerie tuttlingen (catalogue) |
| • umgebung und aussicht, galerie cora hölzl, düsseldorf | |
| 1999 | • insight out, kunstraum innsbruck |
| • views from the edge of the world, marlborough gallery, new york | |
| • landschaften, de vleeshal, middelburg | |
| • johnen & schöttle, kö | |
| • landschaften, galerie carolin lindig, nürnberg | |
| • lawrence beck, elger esser, hiroshi sugimoto, sonnabend gallery, new york | |
| • biennale della fotografia, fondazione per la fotografia, torino | |
| 2000 | • the sea and the sky, beaver college art gallery, glenside, usa |
| • friesland is, friesmuseum, leeuwarden (catalogue) | |
| • landscapes portraits, michael hue williams fine art, london | |
| • retrospective, sonnabend gallery, new work | |
| • inside out, thomas segal gallery, baltimore, usa (catalogue) | |
| 2001 | • christina doll, elger esser, m. van ofen, galerie sfeir-semler, hamburg |
| 2001 | • ohne zögern, sammlung olbricht, museum weserburg, bremen |
| 2002 | • aus düsseldorf, baronian-francey galerie, bruxelles |
| • in szene gesetzt architektur, zkm karlruhe | |
| • hier und jetzt, museum kunstpalast, düsseldorf | |
| • 10 young german artists, galerie de zaal, delft | |
| • moving pictures, guggenheim museum, new york | |
| • now, what is photo, gana art gallery, seoul, korea | |
| • zwischen konstruktion & wirklichkeit, ludwig-suermondt museum, aachen | |
| • from pop to now, tang-museum, saratoga springs | |
| • fotobiennale moscow, house of photography, moscow | |
| 2003 | • kunsthalle I, kunsthalle mannhein |
| • new work, galerie de zaal, delft | |
| 2004 | • vagueII, hommage et disgressions, musee malreux, le havre, france |
| • art history, photographs ref. paintings, yancey richardson gallery, new york | |
| • HSL-projecten, den haag | |
| 2005 | • angekommen, kunstmuseum stuttgart |
| • dreamscapes, aeroplastic contemporary, bruxelles | |
| • the city, contemporary views, college art gallery, new york | |
| • halte brussels, vlaams-nederlands huis, bruxelles | |
| • flight 405, galerie sfeir-semler, beirut and hamburg | |
| • XL photographs, barbara mathes gallery, new york | |
| • memoria y tiempo, fundacion colectania, barcelone | |
| 2006 | • paisajes, galeria arnes y ropke, madrid |
| • arcadia, yancey richardson gallery, new york | |
| • room with a view, gemeentemuseum, den haag | |
| • les peintres de la vie moderne, centre georges pompidou, paris | |
| • fotokunst aus nrw, flottmann-hallen, herne | |
| 2007 | • less roses, galerie sfeir-semler, beirut |
| • foto-kunst, essl museum, klosterneuburg | |
| • berlin-nl, dutch embassy, berlin | |
| • seestücke, hamburger kunsthalle, hamburg | |
| 2008 | • true north, deutsche guggenheim, berlin |
| • two, galerie de zaal, delft | |
| • objectivites, la photographie a düsseldorf, musee d'art moderne de la ville de paris, paris | |
| • BESart-photography, museu coleccao berardo, lisbon | |
| 2009 | • voyages pittoresques: normandie 1820-2009, musee des beaux arts de caen, france |
| • rencontres de la photographie, abbaye de montmajour, arles, france | |
| • 6 views of photography, galerie de zaal, delft | |
| 2011 | • ileana sonnabend, an italian portrait, peggy guggenheim collection, venice |
| • kunst befreit, neupresentation der sammlung museum kunstpalast, düsseldorf | |
| 2013 | • old school, anachronism in contemporary art, kunsthalle, kiel |
| • vacatio, festival internazionale di roma, macro, rome | |
| 2014 | • temporary living, galerie de zaal, delft |
| • los bragales, centro de arte juan ismael, fuerteventura | |
| • home (very) sweet home, galerie thaddaeus ropac, pantin | |
| • una colección basada en la naturaleza y el medio ambiente, seville | |
| • one work, the frances young tang teaching museum, saratoga springs | |
| • los bragales. centro de arte la regenta, las palmas de gran canaria | |
| • human landscape, dominik mersch gallery, sydney | |
| 2015 | • photographing monet's gardens, musée des impressionisms, giverny |
| • the idea of landscape, ray 2015 fotografieprojekte, frankfurt | |
| • faszination fotografie, essl museum, klosterneuburg | |
| • landscape in my mind - landscape photography today, kunstforum, wien | |
| • gallery 3010, sfeir-semler gallery, beirut | |
| • bert de beul - elger esser - ian hamilton finlay, sfeir-semler gallery, hamburg | |
| • baywatch, galerie hartwich, rügen | |
| • almond - esser - foucault – plossu - shore, musée des impressionnismes, giverny | |
| • german photography, ben brown fine arts, london | |
| • eolie 1950/2015, mare motus, chiesa di santa caterina ed ex carcere, lipari | |
| 2016 | • langmatt, licht, libellen - impressionismus heute? museum langmatt, baden |
| • aus der sammlung: landschaft,.landesgalerie, linz | |
| • i prefer life, reydan weiss collection, 25th anniversary weserburg, bremen | |
| • gärten der welt, museum rietberg, zurich | |
| • monets gärten. zeitgenössische fotografien, schloss eutin |