MODERN & CONTEMPORARY ART Autumn 2023
The main focus of this year's autumn exhibition is on major works by Max Weiler, originating from a significant Viennese private collection and unavailable to the public for many years. They portray the painter, one of the great figures in Austrian art history, as a sensitive recipient of the natural phenomena surrounding us. On his canvases, the beauty of nature and life itself unfolds in a vibrant array of colors through lyrically abstract compositions.
Another internationally significant artist featured in the exhibition is Gottfried Helnwein, we present two important masterpieces from him, "Disasters of War" and "Pale Mouse." His impactful images, often centered around the vulnerable and defenseless child, symbolize threatened innocence and the lost paradise. Through his art, he aims to awaken, provoke thought, and deeply touch on an emotional level. From October 25, 2023, to February 18, 2024, the Albertina in Vienna dedicates a large retrospective to this exceptional artist on the occasion of his 75th birthday.
We've succeeded in bringing two intriguing and well-known German artists to the exhibition: Jürgen Paas and Jürgen Jansen. Jürgen Jansen's paintings fascinate with their intensity of color, incredible luminosity, and lucid lightness. Countless layers of oils and resins form smooth, glossy surfaces with carefully arranged formations that appear to float as if dematerialized. In contrast, Jürgen Paas creates strictly geometric works from protruding colored PVC strips. Like a musical score, he constructs the images of the exhibited "Jukebox" series within a play of light and shadow, offering a multitude of possible color combinations. Similar to a kinetic image, the appearance of each painting changes with shifts in perspective, making the viewer's movement an integral aesthetic component.
Lastly, we'd like to point out the Italian artist duo Casagrande & Recalcati, who reside and work in Milan and have gained recognition through collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana and Fendi Casa. Their opulent still lifes, painted in an old-master style, now grace significant private collections and are frequently showcased in exhibitions and art fairs. With the utmost precision and finest brushwork, they capture individual flower heads and splendid floral arrangements. The compositions, illuminated by theatrical light and often set against dramatically dark backgrounds, exude a dreamlike and ethereal quality, creating an almost hypnotic effect of captivating beauty.
As always, it remains important for us to emphasize significant female painters. Thus, we present new works by Ingrid Brandstetter and Mercedes Helnwein, as well as important pieces by Kiki Kogelnik, Maria Lassnig, and Xenia Hausner.
A scientifically researched, extensive catalog will accompany the exhibition.
