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Open letter to the Lord Mayor of the City of Leverkusen from Gerhard Richter

Mr. Uwe Richrath
Lord Mayor of the City of Leverkusen
Town Hall
Friedrich Ebert Platz 1
51373 Leverkusen

Open Letter to the Lord Mayor of the City of Leverkusen

Dear Mr. Richrath,

I have just learned from a large number of announcements in the media that a paper drawn up by the business consultants KPMG, proposing the closure of Museum Morsbroich and the sale of its collection, is being discussed by the City of Leverkusen.

This proposal is alarming!

Museum Morsbroich is an institution of high repute whose exemplary work is taken notice of and prized far beyond the borders of the state. A public art collection is not a financial investment that can be plundered depending on the cash situation. It is a piece of art history and represents the cultural memory of its trustees.

In 2009 we jointly organised a large exhibition of my overpainted photographs there. Two important paintings and numerous watercolours, drawing and prints of mine are in the museum. They were given to Museum Morsbroich by me personally or by other people on the assumption that Leverkusen would also protect museum holdings as the heritage and collective memory of a local community. Binding international conventions exist aimed at protecting citizens from such abuses.

I would therefore like to protest against the plans to close the museum and sell its collection. And I appeal to you, as Lord Mayor of the City of Leverkusen, to reject these considerations unequivocally. I personally would be delighted to still have a good reason to travel to Leverkusen in the future.

Yours faithfully

Professor Gerhard Richter

*Image of Gerhard Richter via Artnet News