©2008 Hundertwasser Archive, Vienna, Austria
THE STORY
Hundertwasser and Rene Bro’s mural PARADISE – LAND OF MEN, OF TREES, BIRDS AND SHIPS was scheduled to
be demolished in the renovation of a building that had been its home for
decades. It was thought to be
unmovable. It was offered free of charge
for over a year to any workman who entered the building. No one was
interested.
Three weeks before the scheduled demolition of the piece an
artist/craftsman saw it and sensed that this was an important work of art. He asked for and was given the mural under
the condition that it be moved within several days or it would be destroyed.
He went to great lengths to raise thousands of dollars from
his family and to figure out how to move the mural without damaging it. The
frame weighed 800 pounds and the hollow brick mural 3,500 pounds. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2007 the mural
was saved. The worker slept in a car
next to the mural in a boat yard for three nights before he could move it to a
shed in the same location that was large enough to accommodate it. A month later it was moved again to its
current secure location.
The fact that this unique, historical piece of work was
resurrected by a common man is a tribute to Hundertwasser. Hundertwasser was known for his commitment to
the working class.
