I just got of the phone after a long conversation with an interesting film maker who may join our team with his brother a journalist. I am going to visit with them both in the coming week. The whole story of Hundertwasser the artist a architect,painter and ecological philosopher and of this largest painting of his career, that has been saved twice from demolition is amazing.
I have difficulty believing it myself and I know many knowledgeable and learned people do also. I remember my first telephone conversation with the Harvard educated art historian Harry Rand who I called at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. I called to inform him that he had mad a mistake in his 1983 book on Hundertwasser, and I would like to correct him. The painting called Paradise is shown on page 20 with a photo of the young artist in front of the painting as he was creating it. The painting in the footnotes is listed as lost when the building was destroyed in 1964. He did not believe me, and called his Archive in Vienna for confirmation.
I told him HW's Paradise mural was lost to the art world in a practical sense but not destroyed, and we intend to restore Paradise and return the painting to the art world and a fitting public display. I and my family are not rich or connected in the art world and are slow moving to accomplish this task, but intend to do in a way that honors its makers , and extends Hundertwassers legacy.
Over year ago I contacted DPI , the UPI or Ruters of the Germanic Press , and they refused to tell a story they could not confirm. We had hoped they might simply contact his Archive in Vienna, archiv@harel.at and its director Andrea Furst or its president Joram Harel and that would might be considered proof enough. There is a five page report from a conservator Ralf Wittig detailing its condition and an estimate for its repair. He worked for a decade with the artist and works with his Archive and museum. His contact info is ateiler@ralfwittig.at
I understand that this may sound like a made up Madoff, NY story to many , but it is not. I was told to go to the Germanic bloggosphere directly and bypass the media gatekeepers, by starting this blog.
I have not been successful yet , will someone please help us get this story out and finally get this project the help and publicity it deserves.The Director of his museum suggested writing a book about the project and telling the story at his museum as a fund raiser. I am working on the book to be self published by Amazon in an Ipad format with color plates and video footage.
Anyone who helps us with this project will be compensated and if you help us make contacts to foundations and individuals who can help pay the cost of the restoration and the film we will be happy to pay a reasonable and professional commit ion. If you are a grant writer or can help in any way please contact us at restoringparadise@gmail.com , care of my mother Patrica Muth.
Harry Rand told me that we have been going about the in the wrong way , seeking capital in this difficult economic situation from private sources. He said that we could get the money to restore the painting and make the Documentary for free and never pay it back even when we realize the monetary value of this painting one day. I told him I had difficulty believing that. He said the art world does not care about my family personally but only about insuring the future of a valuable cultural and artistic artifact. I have yet to see the evidence of that but would like to believe it is true.
