After my father, the Hamburg social and visual artist Günter Westphal, died in May, several obituaries were published in print and online. I know of 3 obituaries, including the one in the taz, the newspaper my father read regularly. And then there’s the visual obituary, of sorts.
There’s something surreal in seeing an article honoring your father and announcing his death in the very paper he read for decades and you used to buy for him when he was too paralyzed with ALS to drive or shop for himself – or flip newspaper pages. It’s all still very surreal – and heartbreaking. I miss him terribly. And it looks like I will miss him until the end of my life.
Günter Westphal was an amazing and admirable person, activist, artist, neighbor, thinker – not just to his family, but also to many others – and to the public.
So I’m publishing this blog post to have a place where we can find these obituaries – and also other articles about him I hold dear.
Thank you to the authors for honoring Guenter Westphal, the artist, the innovator, the neighbor, the activist, the person who cared for “the other” so deeply.
These articles are naturally all in German. At some point, I might add translations.
If you happen to know of another obituary, please let me know.
taz
Nachruf auf den Künstler Günter Westphal: Immer auf Augenhöhe
Article in print and online by Friederike Gräff – June 6, 2025
Photo by Miguel Ferraz
Click link above to read full obituary
Der Hamburger Günter Westphal schuf beharrlich-leidenschaftlich eine Kunst, die auf andere ausgerichtet war. Vor allem auf Menschen im Abseits.
Der Lachende Drachen
Nachruf auf Guenter Westphal
Article in print and online by Max Müller – June 2025
Photo by Timo Knorr
Am 16.5.2025 ist Günter Westphal verstorben. Das ist ein großer Verlust für alle die ihn kannten – für das Münzviertel – für die Kunst. Viele sahen in Günter den „Viertelbürgermeister“, den Aktivisten, den Kümmerer und vieles mehr. All das war er sicherlich. Günter wurde aber nicht müde darauf hinzuweisen, dass er vor allem eines war: Künstler. Wie kann das sein? Und warum ist das wichtig?
Wir-sind-Aktiv-Hamburg
Abschied von Günter Westphal: Künstler, Aktivist und Seele des Münzviertels
Online article – June 19, 2025
Click link above to read full obituary
Visual Obituary, Of Sorts
On the poster for the 2025 Muenzviertel Strassenfest, my father was recreated as a drawing: he’s the guy on the left stenciling his rose on the wall below the train tracks by his studio building. Thank you to the organizers of the Strassenfest for honoring my father this way and to Lorenz, who designed the poster.
Two newspaper profiles about Guenter Westphal 10 years prior
Very moving and genuinely great to hear more about who your father was / still is in this world. The stencil tribute is my favourite.
This means a lot to me. Thank you, Wendy. I also really like the stencil bit – it’s great for me to see how other people saw my father and genuinely like it.