About the project
In a stairwell foyer in the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, the then 24-year-old Gerhard Richter created the mural Lebensfreude in 1956. The work, which measures over 60 square meters, is Richter's diploma thesis, with which he completed his studies at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts in the class of Professor Heinz Lohmar. In 1979, the mural was painted over in white to restore the foyer to its original state.
Some sections of the mural will be shown in 2024 alongside the special exhibition VEB Museum. The German Hygiene Museum in the GDR will be uncovered again. The uncovering is a joint project between the Museum and the Wüstenrot Foundation in cooperation with the Dresden University of Fine Arts, which is advising the project. The Ernst von Siemens Art Foundation is supporting the accompanying educational measures with a grant. The uncovering work, which you can watch over the next few months, will be carried out by the Dresden restorer Albrecht Körber. Expert advice will be provided by the Saxony State Office for the Preservation of Monuments.
Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden in 1932; he fled from the GDR to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1961. Today, the painter, sculptor and photographer is one of the best-known and most important contemporary artists internationally. The Gerhard Richter Archive is located at the Dresden State Art Collections.
