Herbert Wetterauer
A German artist who builds haunting, life-sized human forms from humble paperboard, exploring fragility and presence through an invented technique.
Born 1957 (age 69)·German painter and author·Birthday: April 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Herbert Wetterauer, operating from Karlsruhe, Germany, has carved a distinct path in contemporary art by turning away from traditional, durable materials. Instead, he found his voice in the transient and the everyday: paperboard and ink. He developed a unique method of constructing figures, building them layer by layer from cardboard into eerily complete, life-sized human forms that seem both solid and spectral. These silent, often solitary figures occupy space with a poignant vulnerability, their rough, exposed edges and monochrome ink washes speaking to themes of impermanence and the human condition. Alongside his sculptural work, Wetterauer is also a painter and author, creating ink paintings that share the same raw, immediate quality. His multidisciplinary practice, consistently focused on material authenticity and emotional resonance, has established him as a quietly powerful voice in European art, one who finds profound expression in the ostensibly simple.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Herbert was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Herbert Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Herbert's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Developed a signature technique for creating life-sized, anatomically detailed sculptures from layered paperboard.
- Has exhibited his distinctive cardboard figures and ink paintings in solo and group shows across Europe.
- Maintains a parallel career as a published author, complementing his visual art with literary work.
- His work is held in public and private collections, recognized for its unique material and thematic focus.
Did You Know?
He often uses ink washes directly on the raw cardboard, integrating painting and sculpture.
Many of his paperboard figures are self-portraits or studies of the human form in mundane poses.
He has lived and worked in Karlsruhe, a major German arts center, for much of his career.
“I build my figures from paperboard because it has the memory of the street.”
