Gisela Pferdekamper

Gisela Pferdekamper was born in Gettdorf, about 160 kilometers north of Hamburg and has painted since childhood. After finishing school, she was an apprentice in lithography. She completed her certificate and started thereafter to study painting and sculpture at the oldest German art school in Brunswig, today part of the University of Brunschweig. Gisela’s art is uniquely recognizable. It is both realistic in detail, but with a whimsical style that incorporates a sense of humor and some surrealism. Her remarkable visual memory and success in horse breeding gained her respect in the circles of professional horse breeders and she was often invited to judge horses in Hanoverian horse shows. In 1975, she moved with her husband, Dr. Howard Pferdekamper, and 33 Hanoverian horses to Florida. Many “Hanoverians” and her two sons were born there. Gisela was privileged to bring the sport of dressage riding to southeast Florida and in 1983 she founded the Palm Beach Dressage Derby. This is still one of the most important equestrian competitions in the United States. Gisela’s paintings have been shown in my exhibitions in the U.S. and Germany.