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More than 50 galleries in Düsseldorf and Cologne signed a letter criticizing the local AfD faction for allegedly invoking Joseph Beuys and Heinrich Heine in promotion for a cultural policy event. Hyperallergic said it could not independently confirm that the artists were mentioned on the party’s websites.
More than 50 galleries in Düsseldorf and Cologne have signed a letter condemning the local Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction for allegedly invoking artist Joseph Beuys and poet Heinrich Heine in promotion for an upcoming cultural policy event. The criticism concerns an event titled “Cultural Policy From the Right”, but Hyperallergic reported it could not independently verify that the names appeared on AfD websites.
The AfD event was scheduled to take place in Düsseldorf on Monday, October 26. Its advertised program included a walking tour of city arts and cultural venues followed by a lecture from Matthias Helferich, an AfD member of the Bundestag. The source report does not specify the year of the scheduled date.
The galleries’ joint letter objects to the party’s alleged references to Beuys and Heine in publicizing the event. It presents Düsseldorf’s cultural identity as rooted in openness, internationalism and pluralism, and argues that artistic work depends on exchange across differences. The letter is a statement by the signatories, not independent confirmation of the party’s promotional wording.
Hyperallergic said it contacted several signatories but could not independently confirm any mention of Beuys on the AfD or AfD Düsseldorf websites. The report gives no response from the party or Helferich to the galleries’ criticism. The central dispute is therefore about both the alleged invocation and what its use would mean—not a verified statement of the party’s intent.
A Dispute Over Cultural Ownership
The dispute puts a local political event in tension with the reputation and legacy of artists associated with Düsseldorf’s cultural life. Beuys was a postwar artist and political activist; the galleries’ objection suggests they see the alleged reference as an attempt to draw on that cultural standing for a right-wing political program. That interpretation belongs to the signatories and is not independently established by the report.
The episode also matters because it highlights a broader question for cultural institutions: who can invoke an artist’s name in political messaging, and how should galleries respond when they believe that use conflicts with values of openness and exchange? The available reporting does not settle that question or establish whether the event’s organizers used Beuys’s name in the way the galleries allege.
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Helferich’s Party Record
Helferich was elected to the Bundestag in 2021. Hyperallergic described him as one of the AfD’s more radical members and reported that leaked chats led to his temporary expulsion from the party’s North Rhine-Westphalia branch in 2025. In those chats, he reportedly called himself “the friendly face of the Nazis” and said he wanted to play the role of “democratic Freisler,” referring to Nazi judge Roland Freisler.
According to the report, Helferich said those descriptions were parodies of his left-wing online critics. He was also accused of dehumanizing immigrants in an Instagram story that included the phrase “get those creatures out” and the hashtag #remigration. The report says his expulsion was overturned in June 2026. These details provide political context for the galleries’ response, but they do not independently establish what the event’s promotional materials said about Beuys or Heine.
““Düsseldorf is a city whose cultural identity is characterized by openness, internationality, plurality, and the free exchange of diverse perspectives.””
— The joint letter signed by more than 50 galleries
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What the Promotion Actually Said
The available report does not independently confirm whether the AfD or its Düsseldorf branch named Beuys or Heine in online promotion, and it does not reproduce the relevant promotional material. The year for the scheduled October 26 event is also not stated. It is not clear from the source whether the event took place, whether its program changed, or whether the party responded to the letter.
The signatories’ account and the party’s alleged use of the artists’ names should remain distinct from verified facts. The report also does not provide a statement from Beuys’s estate, a museum, or another institution about the alleged references.
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Event and Party Response
The immediate questions are whether the event went ahead as advertised and whether the AfD or Helferich will respond to the galleries’ letter. The source report does not identify a later event outcome or announce a follow-up from either side. Confirming the original promotional materials would help establish what was said and clarify the basis of the dispute.
Until those details are available, the development remains a public criticism by cultural organizations over an alleged political appropriation—not a verified account of the AfD’s wording or a settled finding about its intent.
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Key Questions
What is the AfD event at the center of the dispute?
The event, titled “Cultural Policy From the Right,” was scheduled for October 26 in Düsseldorf. The advertised program included a walking tour of arts and cultural venues and a lecture by AfD Bundestag member Matthias Helferich. The report does not specify the year or confirm whether it took place.
Why did the galleries criticize the event promotion?
More than 50 galleries said the Düsseldorf AfD faction had allegedly invoked Joseph Beuys and Heinrich Heine in promoting the event. They objected in a joint letter that emphasized openness, pluralism and dialogue. Hyperallergic could not independently verify the alleged references on the party’s websites.
Who is Joseph Beuys?
Beuys was a postwar artist and political activist. The report identifies him in connection with Düsseldorf’s cultural life but does not provide further detail about the specific wording or context of the alleged reference.
Did the AfD respond to the galleries’ letter?
The source report does not include a response from the AfD or Helferich. It also does not confirm whether the event took place as scheduled.
Source: rss
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