Press

BENI ALTMÜLLER Patterns and Correlations
MASSIMO LUNARDON Think Tank

December 1 to 30, 2022

Gallery Kovacek & Zetter presents a special double feature featuring new paintings by Linz-based artist Beni Altmüller and sculptures by Italian glass virtuoso Massimo Lunardon.

In his paintings, Beni Altmüller strives to reveal the immense complexities of our world, which we alter through our actions. By using color-loops and patterns that blanket the landscapes, he makes the currents of power between nature and living things visible. In addition to the beloved skier pictures, light brown cappuccino bears - hybrids of brown bears and polar bears - represent a new theme, that critically reflect climate change on one hand, but also highlight the strengths of nature's adaptability on the other. The encounter of man and nature culminates in perfect chameleon-like adaptation: zebra stripes in animal-fur, on the garb of small children and on the earth’s surface form an impressive all-over. The artist urges us to change our perspective, to observe the world with fresh eyes.

Man and nature are also the focus of Massimo Lunardon's new series titled "Think Tank". Using an incredibly intricate technique that requires extreme precision and great skill, the Italian artist combines his mouth-blown aliens with motifs from the world of plants and the animal kingdom. The resulting creatures are meant to inspire us and – in the same breath – challenge us to reflect on the preservation of biodiversity and the making of a better world. The translucent beings are accompanied by colorful reflecting companions, humorously imitating human characteristics and quite literally holding a mirror up to our faces.

Two catalogs will be published to accompany the exhibition.

PDF Beni Altmüller

PDF Massimo Lunardon

FINE ART

Autumn Exhibition 2022 - September 12 to bis October 29, 2022

Same as last autumn, this year the gallery is showing two major exhibitions simultaneously. Besides a dense selection of Contemporary Art, Austrian masterpieces from the turn of the century will be exhibited together with highlights of Classical Modernism and other important art movements starting after 1945.

In addition to a focal point on great female painters of Austrian Atmospheric Impressionism – such as Tina Blau, Marie Egner, Leontine von Littrow and Olga Wisinger-Florian – attention is placed on the painters association with the Hagenbund, parallel to the current exhibition at the Leopold Museum: „Hagenbund. From Moderate to Radical Modernism".

Oskar Laske – who also was a member of the Hagenbund – is represented in large-format oil paintings, such as "The Turks in front of Vienna 1529". Additionally, several gouaches thematically placed in and around Vienna – from Belvedere Palace to Ober St. Veit and the Vienna Prater – as well as colorful impressionist works of the artists summer resort at Lake Attersee will be on display. Two other members of the Hagenbund will be exhibited alongside: Ludwig Heinrich Jungnickel and Josef Floch. From the former there are rare early graphics, as well as later works of affectionately created animal studies from Dalmatia to admire. Three artworks by Josef Floch painted in a period from 1930 to 1960 impressively show his artistic development before and after his emigration to the USA.

From Carl Moll – the impresario of the Viennese art scene, tireless exhibition organizer and talent promoter, as well as co-founder of the Vienna Secession and pioneer painter from Impressionism to Art Nouveau – “Blick in den Prunksaal der Hofbibliothek in Wien", an early major work was acquired.

Represented with several works from different creation periods are Alfons Walde and Norbertine Bresslern-Roth. Alfons Walde is one of the most important painters of this country and highly sought after by domestic and international collectors alike. He has long been known as a "blue chip" on the art market. His iconic winter landscapes and his restrained but charming nature studies of the Tyrolean mountains inspire a wide audience to this day. The gallery is exhibiting several of his paintings on paper, which – despite their often smaller format – are no less infused by his incredible expressiveness and painterly brilliance. No less than four outstanding oil paintings by Norbertine Bresslern-Roth will attract the attention of any collector: "The Tiger", "Melon Trader", "Water Buffalo" and "Antelope Hunt". With her atmospheric sceneries and the intense presence of her animalistic depictions, she has to be counted amongst the most important Austrian painters of the 20th century.

An extensive scientifically researched catalogue will accompany the exhibition, as per usual.

Download PDF catalog