Cage II, a special edition of color offset prints on Alu Dibond from 2015 by Gerhard Richter is one of the 18 works donated by the artist to help the homeless. Image: fiftyfifty.

ART NEWS

Gerhard Richter has donated 18 artworks that will be sold for more than €1 million in an effort to deal with homelessness in Germany.

BY KAZAD

GERMANY— In an effort to deal with homelessness in Germany, Gerhard Richter has donated 18 artworks that will be sold for more than €1 million.  Proceeds from the sale will be deposited in the Housing First Fund that will be used to provide homeless people with permanent rented accommodations in the Germany State of North Rhine-Westphalia, a region that encompasses Düsseldorf and Cologne. Earnings from the sale of the artworks will augment the € 424, 000 ($497,477) that the State will contribute to the funding of the project. In all, 100 dwellings will be purchased and let to the homeless.

The works are a special edition of color offset prints on Alu Dibond from 2015 that are part of Gerald Richter’s series Cage f.ff. They are available as three sets of six.  Signed by the artist, the works are priced at €420,000 ($493,080).  They are on sale at the Fiftyfifty gallery in Düsseldorf Buyers can bid on individual work on the fiftyfifty’s website

Homelessness in North Rhine-Westphalia has been a major problem over the years. According to the State, more than 25,000 people are registered as homeless. A large number of homeless people is one reason the State is doing everything necessary to deal with the homeless situation by providing homes for the homeless in North Rhine-Westphalia.

The Housing First Fund is a project of fiftyfifty, a magazine and charitable organization for the homeless. Since fiftyfifty launched Housing First in 2014, it has committed itself to finding housing for the homeless. It began by buying up real estate in Düsseldorf to rent to homeless people throughout the city. In addition to providing homeless people with their own leases, fiftyfifty also helps them with furnishing their new homes. The organization has previously offered editions by artists including Andreas Gursky and Jeff Koons.

Gerhard Richter, Cage f.ff (2015). Image: fiftyfifty.

This is not the first time Gerhard Richter has donated works for philanthropic purposes. In 2005, Gerhard Richter who served as professor of painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy until 1993, donated the first two series of the same edition for a pet project in North Rhine-Westphalia. The 2005 donation allowed fiftyfifty to purchase 48 apartments to house 53 people, a spokesperson of the organization explained.  More than three years later, the beneficiaries are still living in their homes.

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Julia von Lindern, the head of the Housing First project at fiftyfifty explains that when they approached Gerhard Richter about donating his work to help the homeless, it did not take long to persuade him. “Right away, he was sure that it could work and the benefit of the sale of his works could and should be spent on the apartment project. That was the beginning. Now we are trying to transform that idea around the larger region.”

The Housing First Fund has been doing a lot to ensure that the homeless have a place to lay their heads.  It seeks to provide people experiencing homelessness with permanent housing.   In Portugal and Austria, the initiative has helped hundreds of homeless people find places to call home. Although not well known in Germany, there is so much confidence in the ability of The Housing First initiative to assist in providing homes for the homeless in Norris Rhine -Westphalia. “We have had extremely good experience with the Housing First initiative,” explained the spokeswoman for fiftyfifty. She added that “for our clients, having their own permanent home instead of temporary shelter has had a very positive effect.”

What do you think about Gerhard Richter’s donation of his works to help the homeless? Should more artist be donating their works to help the less privileged? Share your thoughts.