Opening of the Pedestrian Zone in Münsterstraße, Überlingen, 1998

At the beginning of 1998, my then gallery owner Mrs Gisela Richter (Avant Art) received an enquiry from the town and the Überlingen retail association:

an arterial road that ran through the centre of Überlingen was to be converted into a pedestrian zone and shopping arcade.

At the beginning of 1998, my then gallery owner Mrs Gisela Richter (Avant Art) received an enquiry from the town and the Überlingen retail association: An arterial road that ran through the centre of Überlingen was to be converted into a pedestrian zone and shopping arcade. 

On the occasion of the inauguration of the so-called Münsterstraße, art objects were to line the street.

Two artists were to decorate the wide area with their works:  Maggie Ellis, (who made larger-than-life size figure paintings), and myself (who painted large colour panels) were asked to create an exhibition of specially designed works. 

In this way, figure paintings and abstract works of art came together. The superhuman large figures stand amazed, astonished, indifferent, fascinated and uncomprehending contemplating art in front of the coloured painted panels that vibrate vividly in the space expressing various moods offensively, defensively. The figurative and the abstract – otherwise opposites ­– became a unity here. The title of the exhibition was: ‘Waltraud is astonished’. Waltraud is a whimsical figure of Maggie’s: an old lady with a red hat and a red handbag.

The installation of the works in the street remains memorable: the emotions aroused were extreme: an angry gentleman wanted to return to ‘put holes in the stuff’ with his rifle. One lady exclaimed ecstatically: ‘This exhibition would make Überlingen a cosmopolitan city’. (We’ll have to wait and see).