Ulrich Niemeyer was born in Trier, Germany. From 1955 to 1958, he attended art schools in Mainz and Saarbrücken. Then he left Germany to study figure sculpture at the Royal Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, and from 1959 to 1963 at the Slade School, University College, London, England. In 1963, he received the University of London Diploma in Fine Art in sculpture and design. Later that year, he became a permanent resident of the USA. In New York, he taught basic design and sculpture at Friends Seminary, Pratt Institute, and Rockland Community College. During that time, he was a member of the 55 Mercer Street gallery. On a first three-month trip through Central America in 1974, his interest in pre-Columbian art and architecture grew and began to influence his work.
In 1989, he left New York for Mexico to work in Cuernavaca and later in Taxco. In 1990, he moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico. When leaving New York, he destroyed much of his work but later recreated some digitally using 3D modeling programs. From 1994 to 2008, he developed and taught the Visual Communication program at the Northern New Mexico College.
He lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.