„Ich lebe in den Tag hinein und in die Nacht“
An Evening for Strawalde
10 Jul 2026, 7 pm

Born in 1931 in Frankenberg, Saxony, and raised in Strahwalde – which inspired his pseudonym – he initially studied painting at the renowned Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. Then he studied film directing in Babelsberg and subsequently took up a post at the DEFA Documentary Film Studio, where, from 1961 to 1990, he made numerous films about shunters and stove-makers, laundresses and cooks, artists and art, the zoo, and Martha (1978), the last Trümmerfrau (rubble woman) in Berlin. His perspective transforms the ordinary and bleakness of that era into poetry. Time and again, he had to endure bans and interference in his films and his painting. The only feature film he was permitted to make, Jahrgang 45, was not shown until 1990.

In the triptych Verwandlungen (Transformations, 1981), painting, film, experimentation  and his characteristic cheekiness merge in a congenial manner. In admiration of the painters Emanuel de Witte, Paulus Potter and Giorgione, he painted over their pictures – which he possessed only in the form of art postcards – thus adopting them in an amusing and playful manner.

His films have been screened and celebrated at international festivals; however, he was not always permitted by GDR cultural officials to attend these events himself. His visual art is now represented in major collections. Above all, Jürgen Böttcher remains an inspiration, a shining light who impressed and influenced several generations of artists beyond the borders of the GDR.

On 10 July, we welcome everyone to join us in honouring and celebrating Jürgen Böttcher/Strawalde. Later that evening, Jahrgang 45 will be screened – described as “one of the finest German feature films” by Helke Misselwitz, who has curated and will host the evening.