Franz Erhard Walter’s art examines themes related to the categorization of art. Walther himself said that the elements of place, time, space, body, and language were his artistic means. He embodies the shift in the conceptual paradigm to an open-ended concept of the work of art, which includes the audience and the viewer as active participants, as almost no other artist does. The visionary potential of his expanded concept or understanding of art, as well as its enduring influence, has only become obvious today, in retrospect. Evidence of this is the retrospective at the Haus der Kunst in Munich, whose catalogue is dedicated to Walther’s entire oeuvre. The show—an interactive, experiential space—provides visitors with the opportunity to gain a new perception of their own interiors and exteriors alike.

This book is also available in English.

FRANZ ERHARD WALTHER (*1939, Fulda) is considered one of the trailblazers of a radically expanded spectrum of art. For this, he was awarded the Golden Lion at the Biennale di Venezia in 2017. For more than thirty years he was a professor at the Hochschule für Bildende Künste in Hamburg. He lives in Fulda.