Whimsical scenes and bizarre monsters populate the work of Gerhard Altenbourg (1926–1989), as they do this lavish anniversary publication, which brings together drawings, sketches, and prints. The accompanying essays decode the artist’s dream figures, bizarre landscapes, and great symphonies of color, converging in opulent picture spreads to evoke a journey of discovery through the fantastic worlds of Gerhard Altenbourg.

Revered by his companions, spoken of as an insider tip, and long blocked in East Germany, Altenbourg left a wide-ranging oeuvre that reveals his intense engagement with modern art movements. He furnished his “fantastic figurations,” full of grotesque beings and mythical creatures reminiscent of the Surrealists, with artful titles. To mark his centennial, this volume transports us into a singular, poetic visual domain in which the real world is recognizable, yet distorted. Diversity and color are united here in harmony.