'Euro' replaced Baselitz in Dresden

Hilke Wagner, director of the Dresden Art Collections, decided to fill the empty museum hall with a painting by Thomas Bayrle. Until last week, large-format paintings by Georg Baselitz (photo), which were on permanent loan, had been in their place. The 1998 Bayrle painting features toy cars driving around in a circle on a giant euro symbol. The work which had previously been kept in the depot of the Dresden Museum carries the evocative title, "Euro."

In an interview with the epd press agency, the director of the Dresden Museum Albertinum pointed out that the replacement of the Baselitz paintings with the Bayrle work was not been intended "as a provocation," but rather as a comment on the return of this permanent loan as demanded by the artist. Wagner added that the choice of this particular painting should be seen as a statement.

Protest against proposed bill

Last week, several renowned German artists, including Georg Baselitz and Gerhard Richter, protested against the proposed law for the protection of national cultural heritage. Protesting against the bill laid forth by Culture Minister Monika Grütters, Baselitz withdrew his permanent loan - a sculpture and nine large paintings - from the museum in Dresden.

Art historian Wagner told epd that Baselitz's decision had come across as a political statement which had deeply affected the museum: "We are worried that other artists might follow suit." The museum director announced a redesign of the room in the Albertinum in September. Wagner did not say whether or not four works by Georg Baselitz, which are in the possession of the Dresden Art Collections, would be shown there.

Action needed at EU level

Culture Minister Grütters expressed her surprise at the storm of protest against the bill of her ministry. "To be honest, I did not reckon at all with such a fury, especially as associations of artists, professionals and experts have been involved in the legislative process," she said in an interview with the dpa press agency. The main difficulty, the minister admitted, was to define exactly which works should be labeled Germany's "national treasure," in accordance with common EU definitions. "The law has been in existence since 1955, but apparently, that never bothered anybody over the last 60 years."

Grütters considers a statutory regulation of the export of national treasures - also in accordance with the current EU practice - as indispensable. In her view, Baselitz's action was exaggerated: "There is no real reason to withdraw his works - especially since loans are not affected by the law, if the owner does not agree," she said in the interview. The works of the famous painter in Dresden will be picked up at the beginning of this week.