WALTER PICHLER
Work Desk and Combined Flags
19.03.2024–03.05.2024
Opening: 16 March 2024, 11 am
curators: Anna Tripamer und Gudrun Marecek
The Nitsch Foundation and Rita Nitsch, in collaboration with the Tripamer-Pichler family and Galerie Krinzinger, are pleased to present a unique exhibition of works by Walter Pichler.
The Austrian sculptor, draughtsman and architect Walter Pichler always claimed a consistent interpenetration of life, art, sculpture and architecture. He always understood art as the elementary essence of life. The intrinsic tension between sculpture and architecture is characteristic of his entire oeuvre.
“I hope that the connection between what I have done will become visible in the compilation of photos, drawings and plans.” (Walter Pichler, June 1983 from WALTER PICHLER Skulpturen, Gebäude, Projekte, 1983)
A year ago, the Nitsch Foundation set itself the goal of presenting works by role models, companions and friends of Hermann Nitsch. Similar in age, with some overlaps in their biographies, Hermann Nitsch and his friend Walter Pichler chose very different paths in their artistic expression. Since their participation in the group exhibition “Rennweg” curated by Rudi Fuchs in 1985, they had intended to exhibit together again. Posthumously, we will proudly make this possible.
Under the title Walter Pichler. Work Desk and Combined Flags, the Nitsch Foundation is presenting Pichler’s work table, on which the artist put his ideas and visions on paper, for the first time.
“I could hardly think without drawing.” (Walter Pichler, It’s the head after all, 2007)
In addition to original drawings and sketchbooks, the installative work “Combined Flags” will be shown, which transfers the symbolism of public space into the intimate area of the studio. With this exhibition, we would like to pay tribute to Walter Pichler and his work. It is an homage to one of the greatest Austrian artists of the post-war period.
Walter Pichler was born in 1936 in Deutschnofen in South Tyrol, Italy. He studied at the School of Arts and Crafts in Innsbruck and graduated from the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. In his incomparable language, Pichler worked in the border area between sculpture and architecture.
In the early 1960s, he began to declare sculptures as models of buildings and cities. After extended stays in Paris and New York, he began developing the first prototypes in 1966. Visibly inspired by the themes and technologies of the time, Walter Pichler was less interested in utopia than in criticizing society.
From 1973 onwards, Walter Pichler worked mainly on a remote farm in St. Martin an der Raab in Burgenland, where he realized architectures for his sculptures, among other things. The sculptures and drawings were created in a constant interaction, often over a period of many years.
From an early age he was represented in renowned museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art New York in 1967 and 1975, the Documenta 4 in Kassel in 1968, the Austrian Pavilion at the 40th Biennale di Venezia in 1982, the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main in 1987, the MAK Austrian Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna in 1988 and 2011, the Generali Foundation, Vienna in 1998, the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, 1998 and the Museum der Moderne in Salzburg, 2016/2017. In 2022 he was represented in the exhibition Changes at mumok, Vienna, as well as in an extensive solo exhibition at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, followed by a group exhibition in Bonn in 2023.
The exhibition Walter Pichler. Work Desk and Combined Flags will open on Saturday, 16 March 2024 at 11:00 am together with the Tripamer-Pichler family at the Nitsch Foundation, Hegelgasse 5, 1010 Vienna.
Event announcement
In early summer 2024, the exhibition Visionary Spaces. Walter Pichler meets Friedrich Kiesler, will open at Belvedere 21 in Vienna.
Belvedere 21 | Visionary Spaces
Hermann Nitsch is a member of the copyright collecting agency Bildrecht GmbH.
All film and photo shootings must be arranged and approved in advance. Because the shootings are supervised by the Press Department of the Foundation, we kindly request appropriate notice for commercial shootings and press work not related to any urgent reporting needs.
e: office@nitsch-foundation.com
t: +43 1 513 55 30
