Stern, Germany – Art on the running meter
ART ON THE RUNNING METER
The German Artist Rainer Maria Latzke developed an attractive niche some years ago– grand murals for private clients. In themeantime he became a millionaire with his artwork.
The headlights of cars throw rays of light onto Broadway; the windows of skyscrapers are glimmering. High above the stars are flashing lights, a shooting star falls from the sky. 12 meters long and about 4 meters high the artist painted this New York illusion on the wall. After 4 weeks of labour, the silhouette of the American mega city now sparkles in a desert palace in Dubai and electronically controlled lights illuminate the shapes of the skyline. The client was a sheikh, whose son, after a long study in the US had to come home and suffered from yearning. Daddy, worrying about the psyche of his son flew the German painter Rainer Maria Latzke and his team into the Orient.
But also in Germany wait numerous wealthy clients, who are not afraid of the high prices of his artwork. Not only private customers but also companies have re-discovered the mural art: a Swiss hotel group asked the artist to beautify their hotel lobby in South turkey, a German shipping line has ordered a waterproof Latzke-Trompe l’oeil for one of their luxurious liners and a Mormon temple in Bogota is in the planning stage. Latzke´s idols are Italian masters like Giotto and Rafael, Da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Latzke has already found a suitable residence: a Belgian castle near to the German border. Numerous craftsmen are working in the 1775 built castle, gardeners are laying out flowers, lawns, plants and bushes. The staircase will be of Etruscan style, bedrooms Moorish, the master bath roman. In a garden room “grows” painted ferns on the walls, ramble ivy around illusionistic columns. In the “dream room” stars fall from the skies and the walls of the “catastrophe room” are decorated with famous historic catastrophes and down falls such as Pompeii or the airship “Hindenburg”. To execute his orders, which are about 12 a year, he employs a project consultant manager, a private secretary and a personal assistant. He also employs a PR specialist and his own agent at “Harrods” in London. Such effort is expensive: only to make a first design a customer has to pay up to 6,000.00 DM and up to 35000.00 DM for expenses and hotel accommodation. b
“You don´t have to be poor to be a good artist” b
The artist hesitates to speak about his prices, but one has to calculate at least 100,000.00 DM for an artwork of the artist. “You don´t have to suffer to be a good artist” the artist states. Anyway he doesn’t prefer the earning of money rather than spending it. Therefore, French Champagne might be served for breakfast and his Mercedes 500 Coupé doesn’t only have a special “galaxy” painted but also a customized tachometer, which shows the owner´s initials and dinner takes place only in Belgian´s best Gourmet restaurants. While celebrating the finishing of a mural the artist signs the artwork with colors mixed – what would be more suitable? – with real Champagne…” b by Jan Kromschröder
