Born in Berlin on July 2, 1940 as the son of a metal sculptor and a painter, he grew up in a home where creativity was encouraged. After his parents’ studio was destroyed in the bomb raids of World War II, the family moved to a small town in Germany’s Breisgau region. He trained as a photographer’s apprentice (1956 to 1959) before studying under Otto Steinert at the Folkwang School in Essen (1960 to 1965). A few years of freelance work followed. From 1968 to 2005, he was a staff photographer at Stern magazine. Today, he splits his time between Hamburg and Breisgau to manage both his own archive and his parents’ artistic estate. Thomann’s work has been recognised with numerous awards, and is housed in many international museum collections.
