The painter Achim Freyer who was a master student of Bertolt Brecht's has gained an
international reputation for his theatre works since the 1970s. However he always remained
first and foremost a visual artist who made a systematic study of aesthetic and social issues.
He escaped from East Germany in 1972 whereupon he changed the theatre using the visual arts as
his medium. He took part in documenta in 1977 and 1987. Stagings like his 1988 Einstein on the
Beach embody a synthesis of stagecraft and painting. This monograph is the first to focus on
his complete artistic oeuvre placing it in the context of his theatre work and collection of
art. Freyer's late paintings are a brilliant body of work powered by his undimmed creativity.
Achim Freyer b. 1934 in Berlin is a visual artist theatre- and film-maker university
lecturer collector and benefactor. Johannes Odenthal b. 1956 in Cologne is an art historian
and archaeologist. From 2006 to 2022 he was head of programming at the Akademie der Kü nste in
Berlin.
