Press

Having had the honour in 2023 of organising the first exhibition at our gallery following the passing of Arik Brauer, in collaboration with his family, we are now able, three years later, to once again pay tribute to this magnificent artist with an exhibition. This time, in cooperation with the descendants of Anton Lehmden, we have succeeded in staging the first joint exhibition of these two representatives of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism. Never before has an exhibition been dedicated exclusively to the work of these two exceptional artists; until now, they have only been seen together in large group exhibitions. Fantastic Realism is one of the most significant movements in Austrian art after 1945, both nationally and internationally.

Arik Brauer and Anton Lehmden embody two extremely different manifestations of this Viennese variant and reinterpretation of French Surrealism. Whilst Brauer frequently reinterprets themes rooted in biblical and Jewish history in his own unique way, using a detailed, narrative style and vibrant colours, Anton Lehmden’s works are more restrained in colour and feature a more graphic design with delicate lines. Each of the two artists has developed an unmistakable, distinctive style, which makes the juxtaposition all the more fascinating.

On display and available for purchase will be 13 oil paintings, 16 works on paper and various prints by Arik Brauer, as well as 26 works on paper and 9 oil and tempera paintings—some of which are large-format—by Anton Lehmden. These include ‘Vogelflug’ (Bird Flight) from 1981/1982, which was originally the centrepiece of a commissioned work at the Casino Linz, was later repurchased by the artist, and was reworked by him in 2016/2017. The works by Anton Lehmden are largely drawn from the artist’s estate and the Lehmden Museum in Deutschkreutz. The Brauer family has also made a number of items from the estate available for this exhibition, supplemented by significant works from important private collections in Austria and Germany.

Two comprehensive catalogues will be published to accompany the exhibition.

We are pleased to invite you to the exhibition “anselm glück – die gunst der stunde” at our gallery on Plankengasse. 
For 22 years, we have had the privilege of representing the renowned Austrian painter and writer anselm glück at our gallery; this is already his seventh solo exhibition with us. Thank you, anselm, for the many years of friendly, fruitful, and inspiring collaboration!
Today, anselm glück is considered one of the most important contemporary artists in our country; he has received numerous awards for his paintings and literary works, and his pieces are held in collections including the Albertina Modern, the Lentos Art Museum in Linz, and the STRABAG Art Collection. 
His paintings oscillate between figuration and abstraction, between the familiar and the imagined, between poetry and reality.
The colorful canvases are permeated by floating forms scattered across the picture plane, which at first glance evoke a positive mood. Yet upon closer inspection, the seemingly humorous human figures, animals, or houses reveal dissonances. 
The graphically suggestive beings and objects emerge from a layer of paint applied gesturally and impulsively. Their colorful palette, interrupted and contrasted only by the final layer of white paint, lends them the characteristic, (superficially) positive mood that is inherent in his works.

“Gunst der Stunde” is a new series created between 2024 and 2026, in which Anselm Glück essentially remains true to his painterly principles. Yet the works have become even more vibrant, colorful, and shimmering—the underlying layer of paint is now more clearly visible.