Estonian artist Alo Valge beaten in Frankfurt

Estonian painter Alo Valge, who lives in Wiesbaden, was attacked late Saturday night in Frankfurt when unknown men jumped from a car and began beating him. The artist fell unconscious as a result of the blows and has no memory of how long he lay unconscious on the asphalt. Valge remains deeply shocked by the incident.

Estonian painter Alo Valge, who lives in Wiesbaden, was attacked late Saturday night in Frankfurt when unknown men jumped from a car and assaulted him near Frankfurt's main railway station.

"I was walking late at night into Sunday in Frankfurt when suddenly a car stopped near the station and several guys jumped out and started beating me with their feet and hands!" Valge recounts what happened. As a result of the blows, the artist fell unconscious; he cannot say how long he lay there unconscious, as he has no memory of that time.

Valge shared his experience publicly and emphasised that such an incident came as a complete shock to him. "You think such things happen in developing countries or South America, that it's not safe to walk around, but you see, European cities are dangerous too!" he said, adding that he remains completely shocked by what happened.

Who is Alo Valge?

Alo Valge is an Estonian painter whose work often addresses social and philosophical themes. He gained wider public attention with his painting series "170 ºC", in which he depicted 100-euro banknotes in various stages of combustion; through this work, he questioned money as a value and illusion.

The artist describes himself as a "poor survival artist", in whose view money is primarily an illusion and the artist's true task is to remain creative despite material constraints. His works are characterised by expressive brushstrokes and a deliberate rejection of the pursuit of perfection.