Stefanie Hillich was born in 1974 in East Berlin. From 1996 to 2001 she studied painting at the Weißensee Academy of Art in Berlin under Wolfgang Peuker. In 2003 she was a master student under Barbara Müller-Kageler. Hillich lives and works in Berlin and Brandenburg.

Sibylle Prange was born in 1969 in Eberswalde (Brandenburg). From 1990 to 1995 she studied painting at the Weißensee Academy of Art in Berlin under Wolfgang Peuker. In 1995 she spent a year studying abroad at the Royal Academy of Arts and Design in ’s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. From 1996 to 1997 she was a master student under Wolfgang Peuker. She taught at the Berlin University of the Arts and at the Vitruvius Hochschule Leipzig. Prange lives and works in Berlin and Brandenburg.

Joachim John was born in Děčín (now in the Czech Republic) in 1933. After training as a chemical plant worker, he studied art education in Greifswald from 1955 to 1959. From 1963 to 1965, he was a master student under Hans Theo Richter at the Academy of Arts of the GDR. From 1966 onwards, he worked as a freelance artist. In 1986, he became a member of the Academy of Arts of the GDR, and in 1990 he took up a visiting professorship in Kassel. From 1991 to 1993, he was Secretary of the Visual Arts Section of the Academy of Arts in Berlin and was involved in the merger of the two Berlin academies. From 1977 onwards, he lived and worked in Frauenmark near Schwerin. He died in Neu Frauenmark in 2018.

Helmut Diehl was born in Berlin in 1932. After training as a lithographer, he studied at the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst Berlin-Weißensee from 1950 to 1956. From 1961 to 1963, he was a master student under Hans Theo Richter at the Academy of Arts of the GDR. He subsequently worked as a freelance artist in Berlin, creating not only independent works but also art integrated into architecture. In 1962, he had his first solo exhibition in Berlin-Weißensee. Study trips took him, among other places, to Poland, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Bulgaria. In 1980, he moved to West Berlin, where he continued to work as an artist. He died in Berlin in 2017.

Horst Zickelbein was born in Frankfurt (Oder) in 1926. After training as a decorator and spending time as a prisoner of war, he studied mural painting at the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst Berlin-Weißensee from 1950 to 1955. From 1955 to 1958, he was a master student under Heinrich Ehmsen. From 1958 onwards, he worked as a freelance artist in Berlin, creating not only paintings and graphic works but also murals and glass works. In 1996, he moved to Bornholm, where the landscape inspired him to create new bodies of work. He died on Bornholm in 2024.

Ronald Paris was born in Sondershausen (Thuringia) in 1933. After training as a stained-glass artist and glass painter, he studied mural painting at the Hochschule für bildende und angewandte Kunst Berlin-Weißensee from 1953 to 1958. From 1963 to 1966, he was a master student under Otto Nagel. From 1959 onwards, he worked as a freelance artist in Berlin, and alongside painting and graphic art, he also worked in public art and theatre. From 1993 to 1998, he taught as a Professor of Painting at Burg Giebichenstein in Halle. In 2013, he received the Brandenburg Minister-President’s honorary award for his life’s work. He died in Rangsdorf in 2021.

Christine Schlegel was born in 1950 in Crossen (Thuringia). In 1956 she moved to Dresden, where she initially trained as a decorator as well as a poster and sign painter. From 1973 to 1978, she studied painting and graphic arts at the Academy of Art in Dresden. After completing her studies, she worked as a freelance artist in Dresden. From the early 1980s onwards, she expanded her practice to include book objects, collage, experimental film and performance. In 1984 she moved to East Berlin; two years later she left for West Berlin and Amsterdam. She received scholarships and funding, including from the Stiftung Kulturfonds and the Berliner Kultursenat. Since 2000, she has lived and worked in Dresden.

Christine Schlegel wurde 1950 in Crossen (Thüringen) geboren. 1956 zog sie nach Dresden, wo sie zunächst eine Lehre als Dekorateurin sowie Plakat- und Schriftmalerin absolvierte. Von 1973 bis 1978 studierte Malerei und Grafik an der Hochschule für Bildende Künste Dresden. Nach ihrem Studium arbeitete sie freischaffend in Dresden. Ab den frühen 1980er-Jahren erweiterte sie ihr Schaffen um Buchobjekte, Collagen, Experimentalfilm und Performance. 1984 zog sie nach Ost-Berlin, zwei Jahre später reiste sie nach West-Berlin und Amsterdam aus. Sie erhielt Stipendien und Förderungen, unter anderem von der Stiftung Kulturfonds und dem Berliner Kultursenat. Seit 2000 lebt und arbeitet sie in Dresden.

Wolfgang Speer was born in Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt) in 1926. The painter and graphic artist directed the Berlin-Pankow Graphic Arts Centre for many years from 1960 onwards. In addition, he served as curator of the central exhibitions of popular visual art in the GDR. In 1970, Speer undertook a six-week study trip through North Vietnam together with Peter Westphal. During this stay, a large number of portraits were produced. Fifty of these works were exhibited in Hanoi following their return. He passed away in 2015.

Peter Westphal was born in Berlin in 1938. There he completed training as a lettering and decorative painter. After undertaking compulsory military service in the National People’s Army of the German Democratic Republic from 1963 to 1965, he worked until 1968 as chief graphic designer at the VEB Berlin Wine Wholesale Cellar. From 1960 to 1973, together with Wolfgang Speer, he directed the Berlin-Pankow Graphic Arts Centre. Study trips took him, among other places, to China, Italy, Vietnam and the Soviet Union. Until 1990, Westphal was a member of the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. Since 1992 he has lived and worked in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg.