Lot No: 22
Günther Schäfer (b. 1959)
Vaterland
signed, inscribed Für Eddy,
VATERLAND 1990, Dein Freund, Günther (lower right)
coloured
fabrics
180.5 x 118cm. (71 x 46 1/2
in.)
Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500
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Footnote:
PROVENANCE:
Brazil,
Eddy Novarro
The importance of Günther Schäfer’s flag Das
Vaterland draws from two historical events which marked a
turning point in the history of the German nation. The flag, and its
‘pendant painting’ were created to mark the 50th anniversary of the
’Kristallnacht’, the Night of Broken Glass, when Nazi SS and SA
forces across Germany and Austria attacked and destroyed
Jewish-owned shops, properties and places of worship during the
night of 9 November 1938. The pogrom marked the beginning of the
Holocaust Period. The commemorative events for the 50th anniversary
took place on 9 November 1988. Exactly one year later, on 9 November
1989, the Berlin Wall fell, dissolving the East/West political
division of the German people and their nation. Following this, a
group of artists, among whom the Berlin-born Günther Schäfer, were
invited to paint a section of the Berlin Wall. Extending over 1.3 km
between the Oberbaumbrücke and the Ostbahnhof, this was to be the
world’s longest open-air gallery. It is known today as the East Side
Gallery. From 16 to 18 March 1990, Schäfer decorated his section of
the Wall with another Das Vaterland, the concept of which had
emerged from his work on the flag and easel-painting versions ten
years earlier. By unifying the German and Israeli flags, Schäfer was
offering a myriad of historical, political and ethical associations.
While the image was created from a desire to commemorate the
traumatic beginnings of Fascism, it also celebrated with its wall
version the fall of Communism, thus lending itself as a symbol
against all extreme policies and abuses of human rights. Over time,
the image has proved itself too provocative for Neo-Nazi groups, and
the wall painting was vandalised repeatedly before receiving
official protection. According to Günther Schäfer, the present flag
is a unique
piece.
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