Bertold Becker • „23 ¾“ oder „Wo ist hier die Kellertür?“

Opening Reception with the Artist:
Friday, October 9, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st floor

Exhibition dates:
Friday, October 9 through Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Closing reception with the artist:
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, starting at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st floor

From Friday, October 9, through Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the Kulturhaus Schwanen in Waiblingen will present the exhibition “23 ¾” or “Where Is the Cellar Door Here?” by Bertold Becker. The opening reception with the artist will take place on Friday, October 9, starting at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st floor; the closing event will be held on Wednesday, November 4, also starting at 6:00 p.m. Free admission.

For twenty-three and three-quarters years, Bertold Becker worked at Kulturhaus Schwanen as an employee of the City of Waiblingen: behind the scenes, in operations, handling day-to-day technical tasks, serving countless event evenings, and as a facilitator in the engine room of culture.
At the same time, he remained a visual artist. This exhibition looks back on a creative period that is closely tied to the venue—and yet extends far beyond it.

Titled “23 ¾” or “Where’s the Basement Door Here?”, the retrospective brings together selected works from Becker’s time as an artist at the Schwanen. On display are primarily oil paintings on canvas, meticulously crafted and stylistically fluid, moving between abstract, realistic, and surreal visual spaces. Becker shifts perspectives, tilts everyday locations, places the familiar in unfamiliar contexts, and frequently works in series. Works from series such as “German Landscapes,” “Chinese Bliss,” “Recycled,” and the “Small War Series” demonstrate the breadth of his perspective on landscape, the city, the material world, and social fractures.

The occasion is both personal and significant for the Kulturhaus’s history: Becker’s retirement marks the end of his long tenure as a staff member at the Schwanen. The exhibition brings to light what emerged alongside, between, and behind this work—as the artistic legacy of a person who helped shape and define the institution over many years.

For more information, visit bertold-becker.de and kulturhaus-schwanen.de