Harald Naegeli will soon be 85 "Sprayer of Zurich" wants to leave his work to animal welfare
For a long time, Harald Naegeli, the "Sprayer of Zurich", was notorious in his home city for defacing walls. Today he is a celebrated artist. He has decided who should benefit from his estate.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The artist Harald Naegeli plans to donate the proceeds of his work to animal welfare after his death.
- The "Sprayer of Zurich" achieved international fame in the 1970s with his stick figures and skeletons, despite persecution by the authorities.
- Despite health problems, the soon-to-be 85-year-old continues to work on his creations every day.
Once hounded as the "Sprayer of Zurich" and now celebrated as an important artist, Harald Naegeli would like to sell his extensive work for good causes. The proceeds will go to animal welfare, Naegeli told the German Press Agency shortly before his 85th birthday.
However, this is not yet possible. "As long as I'm still alive, I would have to pay taxes on it," says Naegeli. He has therefore set up a foundation to look after his estate in his name after his death.
Naegeli became world-famous at the end of the 1970s with his graffiti of stick figures, skeletons and mythical creatures, initially sprayed anonymously on walls in Zurich. When he was discovered and fled to Germany, the city issued an international arrest warrant for him.
Naegeli lived in Düsseldorf for decades. Today he lives in Zurich again and works in his studio among hundreds of sketchbooks, ink drawings and collages. Other works can be found in museums and collections. Naegeli still draws every day despite his illness, as he says. "I deal with the coming death," says Naegeli. "It's an incentive to use the time."
An art gallery in Heidelberg offers limited edition prints of Naegeli's works from the 1990s for several hundred euros each, for example.
dpa
