Ilse Noor is a German printmaking artist who migrated to Malaysia in 1974. She was born in Wipperfurth where she then learnt graphic art in Boon under W.M Stucke at the College of Art in Koln. After that she would further enhance her techniques under Professor Franz Nagel at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munchen.

Ilse then met her husband around this time where she would then migrate to Malaysia and setting up her artistic direction as one of the most prominent printmaking artist in the country. Her works are very much inspired by great artists like Ernst Fuchs and Alfred Kubin where her works reflected her passion in nature, music and in the literature arts. One remarkable virtue about her art is that they are made and manually printed with individual numbers, title and pencil-signed where 25 prints are produced. Apart from prints, Ilse has also been involved in other areas of design where she worked on the ‘Sang Kancil Project’. This is where she was involved with the design of stage and puppets while other projects include the illustrated classical reader books for the Oxford University Press while she also published 2 books entitled “Cenderawasih: The Seven Dreams, The Seven Palaces” and “Warisan Nusa“ in which she wrote and drew the illustrations.

Achievements

Ilse’s artwork are very known among the arts circle where some of her earlier works were seen through the 24 etchings of selected historical Malaysian buildings in the 1987 Shell Companies Malaysia’s calendar. The artwork was then published in the ‘Warisan Nusa Shell Book of Malaysian Heritage’ 4 years later while she was also commissioned to etch the Istana Bandar of Selangor by the Sultan of Selangro in 1992.

Her first solo exhibition was held at her hometown Wipperfuerth at the City Hall as well as the Schloss Museum in Hueckeswagen. In 1987, she would hold an exhibition at the National Art Gallery while she would then hold another one 2 years later at the Bonn’s Galerie der Kunstbeutel in Germany. Other solo exhibitions that Ilse has been involved in include Gallery WAN & Goethe Institut, Gallery Taksu as well as at the Petronas Gallery.

Apart from that, Ilse has also been involved with group exhibitions where her works have been showcased in shows like the Annual Show at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, Germany, the Children’s Picture Book Exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, the Three Artists show at Gallery 6, Kuala Lumpur, the 3rd Biennial of Visual Arts 92 in Seychelles, the III International Print Triennial Chamelieres at the Museum Of Gravure in Amadora, Portugal and many more.