In 1982, after acquiring Insel Hombroich, Karl-Heinrich Müller offered painter Gotthard Graubner the first floor in the historical Kutscherhaus (Coach House) as a studio to work in. This led to a close working relationship between the two men, with Graubner accompanying Müller on trips to the Far East and advising him on new additions to his collection. Because of his “excellent eye” (Müller’s description) and acute feel for colours and aesthetics, Graubner was also commissioned with the task of installing pieces from the collection in Erwin Heerich’s walk-in sculptures. In 1996, a studio house – also designed by Heerich – was built for him at the entrance to the park, where he lived with his partner Kitty Kemr until his death.
Born in the former GDR, Graubner came to Düsseldorf in 1954 and studied at the city’s Art Academy under Georg Meistermann and Karl Otto Götz. After teaching art for a short time, he took up a professorship at Hamburg’s University of Fine Arts in 1969, and also lectured at Düsseldorf Art Academy from 1976 to 1998. Gotthard Graubner’s works were exhibited at documenta 4 and documenta 6, and in the German pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 1982.