"By profession—with the scientific illustrator in mind—Hellmuth Ehrath was committed to precision, which he had internalized so thoroughly as a freelance artist that even in his exorbitant imagination he maintained a crystal-clear visual language. He transformed iron chains into spines; indeed, all sorts of found objects became limbs, skulls, and scrap iron or old books were transformed into humanly relevant curiosities. His trademark became the gaunt figure derived from the human skeleton, which Ehrath grouped upwards on walls, allowed to project into the room, or transformed into chairs: fantastical illusions on drawing paper or cast in metal. He drew his inspiration not only from everyday life but also sought it on numerous travels in Europe, Africa, and Asia. He also made use of art history. Thus, as a figurative ensemble, he created the three-part "Breakfast on the Grass," a chair/table object that took up the tradition of a motif that once (Édouard Manet) symbolized the Liberation from church conventions was a concept that was later widely quoted and parodied (Pablo Picasso). The treated steel figures stand out strikingly from the rusting dining table, which, so to speak, carries ephemeral, rust-prone 'food'.