Martin Honert Mutprobe (Fliegendes Klassenzimmer) / Test of Courage (Flying Classroom), 1999

The sculpture is based on a scene in Erich Kästner's children's book Das Fliegende Klassenzimmer (The Flying Classroom) from 1933. As the artist noted in 2012: "Anyone who knows Kästner’s story, whether from the book or the film, will recall the following dramatic scene: to demonstrate his courage to his friends, little Uli jumps from a high scaffold holding an umbrella. Mutprobe (Test of Courage) captures the moment of this leap, as seen in Kurt Hoffmann’s 1954 film version. The work is a faithful imitation of a still of this scene, right down to its colors, which were deliberately matched to the palette of old black-and-white film."