Harald Naegeli

Harald Oskar Naegeli ( born December 4, 1939 in Zurich ) was known as Sprayer of Zurich in the late 1970s worldwide. The artist lives and works in Dusseldorf.

Life and work

Inspired by graffiti artists like Gerard Zlotykamien, whose work he had seen in Paris, he was himself illegally become an artist. Its sprayed on house walls and concrete walls graffiti appeared at that time very provocative to many people. Naegeli identity remained undiscovered for long, because he acted in secret, often overnight. Finally, he was yet taken; he had lost his glasses when spraying and had gone back to look for them.

Naegeli was before 1981 a Zurich court and was charged with a heavy fine and nine months in prison punished because of repeated vandalism - by a judge who wanted to make an example of how the WDR journalist Hubert Maessen reported on the process in the German radio. The execution of the judgment deprived Naegeli by a flight from Switzerland to Germany. It issued an international arrest warrant.

Shelter was Naegeli first in Cologne at the WDR editor Marianne Lienau, who had together with her colleague Hubert Maessen found the ( difficult ) personally - journalistic contact with the Naegeli anonymous until then in Zurich in 1980/81; from, among others, the first major German publication on the Sprayer of Zurich had arisen, namely art in the Art Journal - The Art Magazine (1981 ) by Lienau / Maessen. In Cologne, Cologne Naegeli sprayte the brilliant dance of death, the Maessen photographically documented and published both as an exhibition in Cologne as well as in book form in 1982. After staying in Cologne Naegeli moved to 'asylum' at Hubert Maessen in Dusseldorf, who introduced him to Joseph Beuys.

When crossing the border after a trip to the Scandinavian homeland of his mother Naegeli was finally taken to the border with Denmark. Despite extensive protests - including Willy Brandt and Joseph Beuys sat for him - he had to begin his sentence and faced the Swiss authorities; In 1984 he served his punishment. In prison, some ceramics originated with the known Naegeli figures; Naegeli did not bother to the design specifications of the detention center.

After his release he returned to Dusseldorf Naegeli, among other things, probably because of the associated proximity to Beuys. He sprayed on - until today. In addition, he developed a body of drawings on paper, the so-called " particle drawings ." Focus is on the movement and the reduction of the concrete in the foreground. In addition to more traditional work, in which nature often plays a role in creating large nonobjective " Urwolken " as ink drawings in which the artist works often months.

In cooperation with the Viennese composer Karlheinz Essl Harald Naegeli developed between 1991 and 1993 the performance project " particle movements ," in which he performed in galleries and museums very reduced spray actions on acrylic glass plates, which were accompanied by music.

In the winter semester 1998/99 the Graphic Collection presented at the Art History Institute of the University of Tübingen for the first time the hitherto almost unknown etchings by the artist from 1989 to 1998. All his etchings then went as a generous donation Harald Naegeli into possession of this graphic collection over. From 6 June to 19 July 2002, the graphic collection as a contribution to the university anniversary year together an exhibition of drawings. The large-format pen and ink drawings in the context of so-called " primordial cloud " play a prominent role in the work of the artist. The content covered Naegeli it to his drawing utopia of cosmic space. The filigree drawings were made for months and sometimes years. The individual steps of the formation were noted exactly on the back of the drawings.

One of his last remaining stick figure from his Zurich period, the female water spirit Undine on the facade of the German seminar in Schoenberg aces, let the canton of Zurich in 2004 and restored to preserve. The resulting illegal Graffiti sprayed Naegeli, 1978 to the then concrete wall of the Physics Institute. After a renovation in 1995, the cantonal Baudirektion rated this Sprayerei one worth preserving and protecting them with a wooden cover. Now, with the preservation of Undine, rehabilitated the Zurich Harald Naegeli city and called his " graffiti " as art and Naegeli as an artist. A few more stick figure can be seen in the parking garage of the department store Jelmoli where the artworks were also restored in 2009.