Seventeen Kilos of Art: Timm Ulrichs – An Obituary
7 May 2026In the exhibition “German Pop Art – Between Provocation and Mainstream. "The Heinz Beck Collection as a guest at the LUDWIGGALERIE" allowed me to present several printmaking works by Timm Ulrichs, including the portfolio. Caution: Art! from 1969. Like no other artist, he succeeds in satirizing the many norms, rules, and regulations that characterize museum operations in a pointed, biting, yet humorous way. Ulrichs criticized the fact that all of this erects barriers to art throughout his life, and usually not quietly, but combatively and with impressive actions such as I can't look at art anymore, in which he strolled through an art fair in 1975 disguised as a blind man.
A visitor and Sarah Hülsewig in front of part of the portfolio. Caution: Art! © LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen | Timm Ulrichs, I can't look at art anymore. 1968/2011 © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025
When my phone rang in February 2026 and Timm Ulrichs – extremely politely – was on the line to discuss my exhibition, my adrenaline spiked for a brief moment. In preparing for the exhibition, I had immersed myself in his artwork, particularly that which expresses an anti-museum stance, and had read and watched enough interviews with him to know: his judgment can be merciless. His opening question, "Explain to me why I'm supposed to be a Pop Art artist!" did little to calm my nerves. But he actually listened as I explained my concept and understood why, in my view, he belonged to the German Pop Art movement. This first phone call lasted over an hour; Ulrichs enthusiastically told me about the art movements in Germany at the end of the 1960s and provided me with invaluable background information.
Excerpt from the exhibition catalogue | The 17kg package by Timm Ulrichs © LUDWIGGALERIE Schloss Oberhausen
After receiving the "German Pop Art" exhibition catalog from me, he immediately thanked me with a huge package, weighing a full seventeen kilos, which he personally mailed. Inside was Timm Ulrichs' (exhibition) life in the form of publications. Further phone calls followed; he reported having critically read our catalog line by line and concluded that a visit to the LUDWIGGALERIE would be worthwhile, where he would offer an artist talk. Shortly before this event, scheduled for April 19, 2026, Timm Ulrichs called me one last time and informed me that, unfortunately, he could not come to Oberhausen due to health reasons. However, he was optimistic that he would visit us again later that year. Sadly, this never came to pass; Timm Ulrichs died on April 29, 2026.
Even though a personal meeting is no longer possible, I am very glad to have gotten to know him by telephone and in letter form – as a person who listens to opinions and positions, critically questions them and for whom the democratization of art is a concern even into old age ("Please leave it at that regarding the fee, people have to support me, that's enough already."). Caution: Art! This is an appeal to every cultural worker to make art accessible and to exhibit it in a way that is truly engaging. We will gladly continue to take this to heart, dear Timm Ulrichs!
Dr. Sarah Hülsewig
General