Peter Gehre had the vision of a painting that connects all countries on earth. Now he would like to get his work out there. Or maybe you’d rather sell it?
Peter Gehre is a man who doesn’t bother with ideas. He’s more of a visionary type. 21 years ago he had the vision of a painting depicting the whole world. The plan: Dedicate a picture to each of the 192 independent states that existed on the globe in the year 2000. His credo: All countries are equal. This means that all motifs are the same size, exactly 70 by 100 centimetres, and all painted in such a way that they merge into one another. “The connection and solidarity are my vision of a peaceful future,” said the artist about his idea when the Wochenspiegel Merseburg reported on his project in 2017. Picture number 150 had just been finished. In 2001 he produced the first images of his vision of a world painting in oil on canvas. His goal: to complete the cycle by February 22, 2022 at the latest.
The 65-year-old, who lives and works in Spergau in Saxony-Anhalt, easily managed that. In the meantime he has founded his “Mavis” gallery, which stands for painting and visions. And because he apparently realized at some point that a peaceful world cannot be founded on visions alone, he set up a foundation in 2009, the purpose of which is also to keep his world views together forever.
Now that the 192 country portraits are finished and lined up to form what Gehre calls the longest painting in the world, the artist wants to release it from the confines of his studio. It would be nice if someone would exhibit the painting in a roundabout, he recently told the German Press Agency. It would also be nice, as Gehre said, if a millionaire could be enthusiastic about his work “The World Union Vision”. This would then – possibly – alleviate at least one or the other of the artist’s earthly worries.
