MODERN & CONTEMPORARY Herbst 2022

This autumn – same as last year – the gallery is presenting two major exhibitions simultaneously. In addition to a dense selection of masterpieces of Late Impressionism and Classical Modernism a multifaceted selection of contemporary art with surprising new discoveries and rare major works of Fantastic Realism can be expected.

For the first time we are able to present the impressive abstractions by Monika Kus-Picco – Medicine in Colours. As a student of Nitsch she has found a radical new painting medium in the form of medicines crushed into powder, which she puts to the canvas in a gestural painting process. The flowing and melting traces of paint and the emerging spheres of color are able to address us both on an emotional and a rational level. This year her works were exhibited at the Albertina in Vienna in the show "Andy Warhol to Cecily Brown", as well as in a personal exhibition at the Museum Osthaus Hagen in Düsseldorf. Currently they can be seen in the context of the Venice Biennale as part of the presentation "Personal Structures" at the Palazzo Bembo.

For us it is important to show both emerging and established female Austrian artists regularly. Maria Lassnig and Xenia Hausner, have become fixed points of the international art scene and can be found in renowned museums, exhibitions and collections worldwide. This fall we exhibit various "Body Awarness" works by Maria Lassnig, as well as Xenia Hausner's "Roses with Disturbance" – impressive in its enigmatic ambivalence.

New to the gallery program is artist Alfredo Barsuglia. His installations and works in the public space have been attracting national and international attention for several years. "Social Pool" for example is a foldable swimming pool placed by the artist for several months in 2014 in the middle of the Mojave Desert. The exact location could be found using GPS data and accessed with a provided key. This fall we exhibit his current works: hyper realistic images of everyday objects in which he explores the plane between reality and fiction with the highest technical precision and in a tongue in cheek manner.

An additional point of focus is placed on the Viennese School of Fantastic Realism, including wonderful major works such as Arik Brauer's "Die Piste" and "Vogelflut III" by Anton Lehmden, accompanied by delicate watercolors and expressive prints.

The diverse exhibition program also includes important pieces by Max Weiler, Markus Prachensky, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Hubert Scheibl and Erwin Wurm.

Both fall exhibitions are accompanied by carefully researched comprehensive catalogs, as per usual.