Benjamin Eckel, last edited on 01.08.2022

The artwork, created in 1969 by the artist Lea Grundig, shows the city architect of Neubrandenburg, Iris Dullin-Grund, in the centre of the picture. She is surrounded by the new buildings characteristic of the city of Neubrandburg, in which she herself played a major role, and in red by typical local, historical architecture representing the brick Gothic style.

Prominently placed in the left part of the picture is the Haus der Kultur (House of Culture), popularly known as the Kulturfinger (Culture Finger). The most striking feature here is the clearly visible details of the tower’s façade. In the right part of the picture, the plan for the district of Neubrandburg-Ost drawn up by Dullin-Grund can also be seen. However, the area was not built until after this artwork was created in the 1970s. The lower part of the picture shows the architect’s other main projects, placed around her.

The performing artist Lea Grundig was already active in the Weimar Republic and created numerous works critical of the Nazis, which is why she was banned from exhibiting in 1935. After fleeing in 1939/40, the communist with Jewish roots did not return to her native city of Dresden until 1949. There she was first a lecturer, then in 1951 professor of graphic arts at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. Later she was president of the Association of Visual Artists from 1964 to 1970, and from 1967 also a member of the Central Committee of the SED. She died in 1977 at the age of 71.

Among other things, the artwork was shown within the exhibition “Frau Architekt. For over 100 years: Women in the Architecture Profession”, which took place at the House of Architects in Düsseldorf from August to October 2020.