The world-renowned artist HA Schult is coming back to Düsseldorf. Schult studied under Karl Otto Götz at Düsseldorf Kunstakademie from1958 to1961 and has long been associated with the city. This is why the artist who is internationally known for projects such as “Rhinegeist”, “Hotel Europe” or “Trash People”, was so pleased when he received an offer for a project from Düsseldorf property developer Uwe Schmitz (Frankonia Eurobau plc). The project is to create an art installation on the façade of the former Palais Spinrath, which has been integrated into Frankonia’s new development, Andreas Quartier.

The central theme for the artist, who now lives in Cologne, is the close relationship with the Rhine, which flows nearby and defines Düsseldorf’s city panorama. HA Schult sees Andreas Quartier thus: “Everything on foot, on the banks of the river, and a life full of things to see.” This is why, in the eyes of HA Schult and Uwe Schmitz, the developer of Andreas Quartier, historic Ratinger Strasse is the perfect place for the installation, because, when Napoleon Bonaparte advanced through here with his troops, Düsseldorf’s history was written on Ratinger Strasse.

As HA Schult put it: “A city is a reflection of the people. It is the people who form stone, cement and glass into a city.” Thus, he chose fifteen people who are closely connected with Düsseldorf and its development and who represent the history of the city (by that he means the intellectual, artistic and contemporary history). “Their portraits create a tableau of the spectrum of this Rhine metropolis.” HA Schult has named the installation “Ratinger Freiheit” (“Ratinger freedom”).

The mothers
Mutter Ey
Hannelore Kraft
Angela Merkel/p>

The fathers
Napoleon Bonaparte
Jürgen Habermas
Alfred Schmela

The palace
Heinrich Heine
Gustaf Gründgens
Günther Uecker
Gabriele Henkel
Campino
Ratinger Hof.
Claudia Schiffer
Charles Wilp
Konrad Klapheck

Ratinger Strasse is at the epicentre of Düsseldorf’s old town with its array of bars and restaurants, including “Kreuzherrenecke” an important, long established and well known restaurant, bar and meeting-point, not only for Düsseldorf’s art and culture scene. This is why HA Schult concluded with fervour: “The heart of Düsseldorf beats on Ratinger Strasse!”

29 April 2015