Hundertwasser

`In this world, whoever crown himself becomes a king. Why don't people crown themselves? Because they are too cowardly to be kings`. Friedrich Stowasser, born in Vienna in 1928, calls himself Hundertwasser Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt. True to the colourful variety of his names, he has pursued many activities as a painter, architect and ecologist, and as `one who awakens identities`. This presentation of Hundertwasser's work in all of its different facets is guided by the artist's own view of himselfand his purpose. And, because his work is, by nature, virtually so from his biography, his artistic and political actions, and equally so from the `stories` of his (ostensibly) private life, a vivid portrait of the artist takes shape before the reader'seyes. Excerpts from conversations between the author and the artist lend a sense of immediacy and authenticity to the narration. As a 23-year-old, Hundertwasser set himself the goal of `liberating myself from the universal bluff of our...