Dieter Appelt (b. 1935) is a German artist working in a variety of media, primarily photography. He studied music from 1954-1958 in Leipzig. In 1959, he left East Germany and settled in West Berlin to study in the music school of Berlin until 1964. That same year he decided to study fine art and began experimenting with painting, photography, etching, and sculpture. His first exhibition was at the Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1974.
Appelt is well known for his photographs from the 1980s addressing the mechanics and techniques of the medium. In 1990 and 1999, he took part in the Venice Biennale. He lives and works in Berlin.