Franz Ackermann was born in the Bavarian town of Neumarkt-Sankt Veit in 1963. He chose Munich, the Bavarian state capital, as his place of study and attended the Academy of Fine Arts between 1984 and 1988. Franz Ackermann then changed to the north and continued his studies at the Hamburg College of Fine Arts (1989-1991). A scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) allowed Franz Ackermann to go on a fruitful study trip to Hong Kong in 1990/91.
Franz Ackermann has been active as a painter, printmaker and installation artist since the early 1990s. His oeuvre comprises drawings, watercolors, murals, paintings and installations, which he partially extends by photographic works, projections and architectural models. With his art Franz Ackermann often takes a sharp and critical look on the changes caused by globalization, especially with regards to general mobility (regional and long distance travel, mass tourism). In this context Franz Ackermann is occupied with the examination of ideals generated by the advertising industry as well as with the negative impact of an increasing (mass-) tourism.
Among the most popular works by Franz Ackermann are his "Mental Maps", small format polychrome hand drawings. Made during his travels, the "Mental Maps" capture the artist's manifold impressions and show architectural motifs, spatial structures or simply plays of colors, which reference the unknown environment. In 1994 Franz Ackermann published the "Wörterbuch der Tätigkeiten" (dictionary of activities) and five years later his work "Map of the World".
Franz Ackermann has been established as artist since the 1990s. In 1997 he received the Art Prize from the city of Nordhorn for the redesign of the Munich subway station "Georg-Brauchle-Ring" (2003), in 2005 he was honored with the award "mfi Preis Kunst am Bau". His works have been shown in numerous international exhibitions and are kept in major museums and collections, such as the London Saatchi Collection and the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus in Munich. Franz Ackermann lives and works in Berlin.