Ben Willikens (* 1939 in Leipzig) is known for his austere, frequently aloof, and unpeopled spatial compositions. One of his most famous works is surely the depiction of the Last Supper. It was preceded by a three-year-long, intensive artistic dialogue with Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the same name, and ultimately resulted in numerous studies and a monumental panel painting. Without disciples, the figure of Christ, or other narrative elements, the scene has been reworked to a concentrated study of architectural light and space.This publication presents the complete series ORTE (Places), in which Wilikens examines the character of state buildings constructed in the thirties in Nuremburg, Berlin, and Munich by the Nazi regime in order to give shape to its dreams of omnipotence. In his gouaches and canvases, Wilikens shifts the darkness into the foreground, behind which awaits the inevitable: death and decay. Exhibition schedule: Kunstmuseum, Stuttgart, July 25–October 4, 2009