Exhibition: The future was yesterday

"Maglev trains will race at supersonic speed from Europe to America in airless tunnel tubes 12 meters in diameter, floating 200 meters deep in the Atlantic. Along the 6,000 km long piping system, robot stations ensure that the tube remains stable in the ocean, as computer-controlled propellers compensate for the influence of currents."

Günter Radtke worked as a press illustrator, illustrator and painter. He was co-founder and chief illustrator of the magazine "Stern" for over 50 years.

Inspired by the many different topics for which magazine and book publishers needed picture material but which did not exist, Günter Radtke created hundreds of visions of the future, some completely absurd, some feasible and adopted by today's visionaries.

The variety of topics was vast: the conquest of space and the deep sea, transportation systems for rail, road, water and air, energy generation from nuclear and hydrogen, urban planning for large crowds and food production.

The exhibition "The future was yesterday" presents a selection of these visions and pays tribute to Günter Radtke's creative imagination, whose work goes far beyond "pure illustration".

Visitors can discover the future of today in yesterday in the rooms of the Municipal Art Collections.

The exhibition is accompanied by a varied program (workshops for children, guided tours, matinée). Further information and the catalog are available in the event calendar of the city of Salzgitter (www.salzgitter.de)

Further information:

The exhibition will open on Sunday, April 28, at 11 am. Interested parties are invited. Michael Heißenberg, Managing Director of "zeitlupe" in Ahrensberg, a non-profit organization for the preservation of perishing cultural assets, will introduce the exhibition. Since 2018, those responsible have been dedicated to the purposes set out in its statutes, the promotion of art, culture, environmental protection and nature conservation. One focus is Günter Radtke's collection, which comprises around 600 large-format original prints and provides exhibits for the exhibition in Salzgitter.

The exhibition can be seen until July 14 during the opening hours of the Städtische Kunstsammlungen Schloss Salder, Museumsstraße 34 (Tuesday to Sunday 11 am to 5 pm). Admission is free of charge.

The background to Günter Radtke's "space station": "The cross-section through the space station floating in space shows the different levels with supply floors in the lower area and the floors for living and accommodation on the upper levels. The green areas receive "daylight" as they are under transparent domes. Landing hatches for spacecraft are also installed on the lower levels. The areas alternate. The energy supply is generated by solar panels, among other things."