Introduction

Between 1980 and 1992, the Austrian painter Maître Leherb (= Helmut Leherbauer, 1933-1997) created six eight-by-eight-metre majolica paintings in Faenza, Italy, for the foyer of the then new building of the Vienna University of Economics (Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien). The images depict Australia, Asia, Europe, America, Africa and the Arctic/Antarctic. By portraying these six continents, the artist went beyond the classic group of four: Europe, Asia, Africa and America. Leherb continued the tradition of the continental allegories, popular since the sixteenth century, but partially diverged from such traditions. This is most obvious with the image of the continent of Europe. The central figure of the European image is the naked David by Michelangelo, repeated three times, each with significant variations.

Michelangelo's David (created between 1501 and 1504) is made of Carrara marble, and symbolizes, like no other sculpture and figure, an ideal image of the European. David also carries several positive traits attributed to the European. This is an appropriation or usurpation, since the biblical David was of course not a European – and the image was not intended as a reference to the Jewish roots of Europe, as has become more common in recent years. In addition, ‘the European’ was historically defined in the eighteenth century as a man. In that sense, the choice of naked David, whose member in the twentieth century and today was and continues to be the object of intense marketing, is to be understood as a strong reference to Europe as a male civilization.

If one stands in front of this picture, one spontaneously thinks: ‘This is the peak of Eurocentrism!’ It is probably also surprising that in 1981/1982, when the picture was painted for the building, such a seemingly uncritical view of Europe was still feasible, and acceptable.