History 1979 to 2007 - From the Red Couch to the Gallery of Mankind

1979 – 1983
Horst Wackerbarth (in cooperation withKevin Clarke) compile their subjective photographic portrait of the United States, travelling about 250,000 km in a mini-van, complete with couch and camera. They photograph the rich and poor, beautiful and ugly, famous and unknown people alike, majorities and minorities.
“One of the most fascinating portraits of the United States.” (Stern-magazine)

1983
Publication of the book “The Red Couch – A Portrait of America” (Alfred van der Marck Editions within Harper & Row, New York 1983). It is out of print, second-hand book shops in America today demand up to $ 800 for it.

1984 – 1986
Editorial publications all over the world: “Stern”, “Spiegel”, “Life-Magazine”, “Sunday Times Magazine” and many others.
Gold Medals of the Art Directors Club of Germany and New York for editorial work and photography.

1986 – 1990
Exhibitions all over the world and inclusion into major photography collections, amongst others Chicago, Dallas, Duesseldorf, Florence, Frankfurt, London, Milan, New York.

1990 – 1996
Red Couch photography gets on the move. Together with DoRo Film of Vienna, the series “Rote-Couch-Geschichten” is introduced on the ZDF, 3Sat and Arte channels. It grows into 21 episodes with an average of 3,95 million viewers, turning it into the market leader of televised magazine shows.

1991 – 1994
The Red Couch scores TV awards:
- Rose d’Or, finalist of the Montreux festival
- Gold Camera Award, Silver Screen Award at the Chicago International Film and Video Festival
- 2 International Monitor Awards for best programme concept and best directorship, awarded annually by film and TV producers in Hollywood
- 1 gold and 1 silver medal for best TV satire and best TV entertainment programmeat the New York International Film Festival

1997
In October 1997 the Universal Couch Foundation was founded with its headquarters in Amsterdam. The Universal Couch has now become a stage for people of all races, nationalities, creeds and is a symbol of global dialogue.

1998 – 1999
“Reading Goethe on the Universal Couch” (in co-operation with Weimar, the European City of Culture for 1999, broadcast in December 1999 on 3sat .
“Zweite Moderne – portfolio for a global dialogue” in co-operation with the Club of Budapest and Hauke Media (print license)

1998
Beginning of the „Gallery of Mankind – Europe”

2003
Publication of the book „The Red Couch - A Portrait of Europe“ (Geo-books).

2004 – 2007
Exhibitions: Retrospective of „The Red Couch“ among others in Brussesl, Strassburg,, Duesseldorf, Moscow, Mannheim, Kopenhagen, more than 300 photo works and 200 video-installations.

2005
Subproject: „ Home-Children on the Red Couch“, 35 children with difficult biographies from 5 children homes in Germany, a book publication and touring-exhibition.
„At Home in Germany“, a book publication in der Edition Braus (sponsored by German Telekom), 16 german states, 154 motifs, 2 humans in dialogue always.
„Goch Series – A Portrait of A Town“/ series of 30 images and video-installations, exhibition, catalogue by Klartext Edition.
Performance „art is stronger than life“ at the cemetery of Goch, Niederrhein, Germany

2007
Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art Moscow (in co-operatin with House of Photography), realization of the series „Passion“/ Russian celebrities from economy, politics and culture, in dialogue and dispute, 24 works und video-installations.