The painter Achim Freyer, who was a master student of Bertolt Brecht’s, has gained an international reputation for his theatre works since the 1970s. However, he always remained first and foremost a visual artist, who made a systematic study of aesthetic and social issues. He escaped from East Germany in 1972, whereupon he changed the theatre using the visual arts as his medium. He took part in documenta in 1977 and 1987. Stagings like his 1988 Einstein on the Beach embody a synthesis of stagecraft and painting. This monograph is the first to focus on his complete artistic oeuvre, placing it in the context of his theatre work and collection of art. Freyer’s late paintings are a brilliant body of work powered by his undimmed creativity. Achim Freyer, b. 1934 in Berlin, is a visual artist, theatre- and film-maker, university lecturer, collector, and benefactor. Johannes Odenthal, b. 1956 in Cologne, is an art historian and archaeologist. From 2006 to 2022, he was head of programming at the Akademie der Kü nste in Berlin.