Gertrude Degenhardt

She is known for illustrating the texts and albums of Franz Josef Degenhardt and of other political writers and singers including François Villon, Liam O'Flaherty, Bertolt Brecht, and Wolf Biermann.

She studied at the Staatliche Werkkunstschule für Gebrauchsgrafik, a school for applied graphics, until 1959, and then worked for advertising agencies in Frankfurt and Düsseldorf.

[1] She met Franz Josef Degenhardt, his brother Martin, and their circle of friends, including other singer-songwriters (Liedermacher) Dieter Süverkrüp [de], Hannes Wader, and Hein and Oss Kröher.

[1] Illustrations to François Villon's Das Große Testament received the "Schönstes Buch" (most beautiful book) award from the Stiftung Buchkunst in 1970.

Music and wine are frequent features of her work, also the Gonsbach valley, revolution (Republic of Mainz), vagabonds, dance, musicians, tramps, Ireland (Farewell to Connaught), and, again and again, her husband Martin Degenhardt.

Und sollten denn auch feiern, wohl vor der Feierzeit , 1976 screenprint by Gertrude Degenhardt