The Free Democratic Party (FDP) will retain a bronze bust of its first chairman and former German Federal President, Theodor Heuss, though now on a loan basis. The arrangement follows the party’s recent departure from the Bundestag.
Previously, the bust was sold at auction for €10,000 in 2013 after the FDP failed to clear the five percent threshold and subsequently liquidated its parliamentary group. The sale generated considerable public discussion, drawing criticism from the artist, Gregor Dittmer, who created the work. The eventual purchasers, a married couple, subsequently permitted the bust to be displayed in the FDP’s parliamentary group room upon the party’s return to the Bundestag in 2017.
Now, a new agreement has been reached to relocate the artwork to the FDP’s central headquarters. It will be prominently positioned near the entrance to the main conference hall within the Hans-Dietrich-Genscher-Haus, intended to ensure maximum visibility. FDP leader Christian Dürr expressed his satisfaction with the agreement, stating that Theodor Heuss embodies the liberal foundation of the nation.