Galli was born Anna-Gabriele Müller in Heusweiler in 1944. The artist studied painting at the Saarland Werkkunstschule in Saarbrücken (1962-1967) before making the transition to the Hochschule der Künste (University of the Arts) in Berlin where she obtained her Master’s degree (1969-1976, under Martin Engelman). Between 1992 and 2005, the artist sat on the other side of the desk, acting as a design professor at the Munster University of Applied Sciences.

Galli’s art developed in the midst of the Junge Wilden (Young Wild Ones) movement, which rejected the theoretical and aesthetic domination of minimalist and conceptual art. Their response in the 1970s was to re-embrace expressive and figurative means of representation. Within this challenging impetus, Galli has nurtured an individual style that meshes anthropomorphic depiction and mythical aspirations through uninhibited yet channelled violence that underlies her entire production. Semiotics, language and symbolism also nourish her work.

Technically, the artist is proficient in various methods. Galli paints, draws, cuts, all in a bid to narrate a story. When the story in question has been concluded, it is often out of her hands, the end imposing itself on the artist rather than being a conscious decision.

Galli lives and works in Berlin and Munster.