The works of art – including outstanding exhibits by Schiele, Gerstl, Koller-Pinell, Blau-Lang and Kolig – represent an essential addition to the collection
It’s great to meet people who see their passion for collecting as their life’s work and decide to make their collection accessible to the public through a donation. This indicates a pronounced philanthropic nature of the donors and, in this particular case, fits particularly well with an idea of the human condition as a basic condition of human life and action, guided by medical ethos. This donation represents an essential enrichment of our collection and at the same time represents a commitment to fulfilling the most important task of museum work: preserving, researching and communicating the works to our audience.
Hans-Peter Wipplinger, director of the Leopold Museum
Vienna (OTS) – Over the course of forty years of passionate collecting, a couple of doctors from Lower Austria have managed to put together an extraordinary treasure trove of images. The focus of the collection is on Austrian modern art. The Leopold Museum is extremely pleased about the generous donation, which now enriches the collection with 37 works by 24 artists. The exhibits are mostly paintings, but watercolors and drawings are also part of the collection.
Leopold Museum Director Hans-Peter Wipplinger, who has been able to build a trusting relationship with the donors in recent years, remarked on the occasion of the valuable donation: “It’s great to meet people who see their passion for collecting as their life’s work and decide to make their collection accessible to the public through a donation. This indicates a pronounced philanthropic nature of the donors and, in this particular case, fits particularly well with an idea of the human condition as a basic condition of human life and action, guided by medical ethos. This donation represents an essential enrichment of our collection and at the same time represents a commitment to fulfilling the most important task of museum work: preserving, researching and communicating the works to our audience.”
The new additions fit wonderfully into the Leopold Museum’s collection profile and come predominantly from artists whose important exhibits are already in the Leopold Museum. The works from this donation, amounting to a double-digit million amount, will be on display in the future as part of the permanent collection presentation and occasionally as part of special exhibitions.
Expressionism: Schiele, Gerstl, Kokoschka
Von Egon Schiele, one of the most important Austrian expressionists, from whom the museum has the world’s largest and most important collection, there are two oil paintings: a self-portrait from 1907 that shows the young artist with long hair and a portrait of Schiele’s uncle Leopold Czihaczek from the same year. Also part of the donation are three Schiele works on paper. With the drawing Girl with hair bow (1909), the watercolor Pregnant women (1910) and a female nude from 1917, works from important creative phases of the artist are represented. The Interior with Thonet chair created the groundbreaking pioneer of Austrian Expressionism Richard Gerstl in the last year of his life in 1908. The colored chalk lithograph Self-portrait from two sides as a painter von Oskar Kokoschka was created in 1923. Kokoschka used the motif for the poster for the exhibition at the Wolfsberg Art Salon in Zurich.
The Nötscher Circle: Kolig, Mahringer
Von Anton Kolig are the watercolor Fairy tale (around 1926) and two male nudes part of the donation. Like Kolig also counted Anton Mahringer to the Carinthian artist group of the Nötscher Kreis. One comes from him Self-portrait (1952) as well as the Blue landscape from 1961.
Landscapes of atmospheric impressionism: Blau-Lang, Wisinger-Florian, Pettenkofen, Hörmann, Schindler
The earliest painting of the donation is the Square in Szolnok von Tina Blau-Lang (1874): Already around 1850 August von Pettenkofen founded the Szolnoker School of Painting, a painter’s colony, which also Theodor von Hörmann and later Tina Blau belonged. Thanks to the special lighting conditions there, groundbreaking depictions were created that had a lasting influence on Austrian landscape painting. Hörmann painted the in Lower Austria in 1874 Mill in Erla. The paintings An der Zuidersee von Emil Jakob Schindlercreated in the Netherlands in 1875, shows a view over a North Sea bay. Pettenkofen created the view in 1885 during one of his stays in Italy Monastery garden in Assisi. Alfred Zoff, known for his coastal landscapes and seascapes, painted in 1905 Sailing ships anchored off Chioggia. Next to one Motif from Schwabing (1884) von Blue-Longare also two landscapes from Olga Wisinger-Florian Part of the collection, including the Pappelallee von 1899.
Still lifes by Faistauer, Boeckl, Pauser, Lerch and others
Another focus of the donation is the group of still lifes, such as by Anton Faistauer the Still life with apples (1915) or a Still life with fruits and knife (1927) von Herbert Boeckl. They were created in 1932 Flowers in a white jug von Sergius Pauser. Franz Lerch created his Still life with fruits In American exile in 1944.
Koller-Pinell: Strengthening this important pictorial position in the Leopold Museum
works by Broncia Koller-Pinell, a key figure in the network of Viennese modernism, has received particular attention in recent years as part of special exhibitions in the Leopold Museum or in the permanent presentation Vienna 1900. Departure into modernity. With the current donation of two paintings – Koller-Pinell’s Still Life with Oranges, Flower Vase and Statuette (1890) and a portrait of her daughter Silvia from 1910 – this important artist is receiving further emphasis in the Leopold Museum.
The artists represented in the donation:
August von Pettenkofen (1822–1889), Theodor von Hörmann (1840–1895), Emil Jakob Schindler (1842–1892), Olga Wisinger-Florian (1844–1926), Tina Blau-Lang (1845– 1916), Alfred Zoff (1852–1927), Broncia Koller-Pinell (1863–1934), Richard Gerstl (1883–1908), Hans Böhler (1884–1961), Felix Albrecht Treasure (1884–1967), Alfred Wickenburg (1885–1978), Oskar Kokoschka (1886–1980), Anton Kolig (1886–1950), Anton Faistauer (1887–1930), Egon Schiele (1890–1918), Viktor Tischler (1890–1951), Aloys Wach (1892–1940), Herbert Boeckl (1894–1966), Franz Lerch (1895–1977), Sergius Pause (1896–1970), Wilhelm Nicolaus Prachensky (1898–1956), Gerhart Frankl (1901–1965), Anton Mahringer (1902–1974), Hans Fronius (1903–1988).
Questions & Contact:
Leopold Museum Private Foundation
Mag. Klaus Pokorny and Veronika Werkner, BA
Presse/Public Relations
0043 1 525 70 – 1507 or 1541
presse@leopoldmuseum.org
www.leopoldmuseum.org