UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on display through art at the European Parliament

Brussels – Inclusion, equality, defence of the weak, and protection of the environment in its entirety (marine, terrestrial, atmospheric), education, welfare, economic and social dignity. What would the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, translated into art, look like? Leon Löwentraut offers an answer with his collection of paintings, which the European Parliament is hosting in its Brussels headquarters to keep attention focused on an issue that has become highly topical again, partly due to political delays. 

The UN has established 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, all of which aim to overcome inequality and promote economic growth that respects nature. However, the European Union is falling behind on the path to achieving its goals, and exhibiting the canvases created by the German artist at such a central transit point aims to help renew pressure for an EU legislation that lives up to the challenges and commitments made. 

The artistic guiding light for each of the 17 goals is colour. The future, as envisioned by the UN, when realized, is colorful, cheerful, and lively. Löwentraut plays with chromatic impact to convey the beauty of an agenda yet to be fulfilled.

Leon Löwentraut, the paintings on UN goals No Poverty and Zero Hunger [Brussels, November 2025. Photo: Emanuele Bonini] 

The style, somewhere between expressionism and abstraction, with bold brushstrokes and textured effects, creates a strong visual impact that helps capture the viewer’s attention, only to remind them that beyond the art, much work remains to be done. The decision to exhibit the series of paintings from November 10 to 13, coinciding with the European Parliament’s plenary session, is therefore a particularly timely moment given the full presence of MEPs and their staff

The special exhibition stopped only briefly, because ever since Löwentraut created the series of canvases, it has continuously been displayed around the world. Venice, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Madrid, New York, Miami, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence: just some of the many places that have hosted the thematic exhibition 

Born in Kaiserslautern in 1998, Leon Löwentraut developed an interest in and passion for painting from an early age, starting at the age of seven. In 2017, at the age of just 19, he was selected as the first and only artist to interpret the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals in an artistic key. A year later, he started exhibiting his cycle of paintings worldwide, culminating in his appearance at the European Parliament.