Making-of: Der geschenkte Tag

In 2021, Michael Müller began work on his largest painting to date, Der geschenkte Tag (The Given Day). After its first presentation as the central work of a solo exhibition at Frankfurt’s Städel Museum in 2022/23, the monumental and expansive work is now on display in an expanded, site-specific version at the Neues Museum on Berlin’s Museum Island since early 2025. Der geschenkte Tag, which deals with the ancient legend of the unequal twin brothers Castor and Polydeuces, is the culmination of Müller’s exploration of ancient Greek mythology, which dates back to 2002 and has found expression both in small-format drawings such as the three-part work Durch Liebe sehen (Seeing through Love) (2002/2007) and in large-format installations such as XI. Gesang (At the Backside of a Gas Station in the Plain of Lethe) (2010/2011).

The entire creation process of Der geschenkte Tag, from the first sketches to the artistic painting phase of the huge canvases in the artist’s studio to the installation in the Städel Museum and the Neues Museum, was accompanied by a camera team that documented the genesis of this unique painting installation.