EXHIBITION ARCHIVE
The English language Exhibition Archive is online from 2002 and is continously updated to include all exhibitions at the Essl Museum and Schömer Haus from 1994 to 2016.

Esel: The eSeL Collection

Essl Museum Laboratory
Thu, 05.05.2016 - Thu, 30.06.2016

Exhibition Hall/ Laboratory

The Essl Museum Laboratory will be inaugurated by a project designed by the Viennese art networker, knowledge producer and artist Lorenz Seidler aka eSeL. The eSeL Collection documents and reflects on the world of art on the basis of eSeL’s comprehensive archives: information on and documentation of exhibitions from the last 15 years, many boxes filled with leaflets and many terabytes of data will be arranged to form an interactive exhibition setting. With the help of a many-layered timeline, The eSeL Collection provides an insight in current developments and dynamic trends in an increasingly interrelated world of art, explores the changes in conditions underlying art production and investigates new challenges and the future potential of contemporary art. Individual focus areas are highlighted by selected eSeL projects from the last 15 years. eSeL’s photographic oeuvre, which is devoted to the art scene and its protagonists, will be presented in large formats. “Art is the product of communication!” – visitors will have the opportunity to contribute actively by adding their own observations on the development of art in the last 15 years. On several days, eSeL himself will attend the laboratory and change and expand the setting of the collection together with the visitors.
 
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BODY & SOUL

The body is a visible translation of the soul (Christian Morgenstern)
Wed, 06.04.2016 - Thu, 30.06.2016
What attitude do we take today vis-à-vis our body and sexuality? In the 20th century, Western society revolutionised and redefined its relationship with the body, but also brought problematic aspects to light. Artists reflected these developments, of course, particularly after 1945.
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Silence

Tue, 08.03.2016 - Mon, 28.03.2016

Large Hall

Silence represents an antithesis to the conventional atmosphere of exhibitions and provides visitors with ample space and time to explore works of art at their leisure. Only two works of art on a surface of 600 sq.m. with comfortable seating in front of them. Only two visitors per hour will be let in upon prior registration. At museums, the visitors spend no more than 15 seconds on the average per work of art. Hence, they often miss out on the experience of exploring art in a contemplative spirit and enjoying the interaction between artwork, viewer and surrounding space. Silence is an offer to enjoy art fully, in an atmosphere of calm and silence. There are no explanatory texts or thematic statements to come between the art and the viewer.
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RENDEZVOUS

Masterpieces from the Essl Collection
Fri, 19.02.2016 - Thu, 30.06.2016

The Galleries

Sometimes a date or rendezvous can ignite an exceptional story, as was the case with the initial meeting of Agnes and Karlheinz Essl in 1959 in New York. They immediately became a couple and enjoyed their first encounters with contemporary art in the fascinating metropolis on their dates which took them to the museums and galleries of New York. This was the origin of their love for art which soon became a passion: The beginning of the Essl Collection
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ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2015

DIVERSITY OF VOICES
Fri, 04.12.2015 - Sun, 06.03.2016

Exhibition Hall

In this exhibition, the Essl Museum provides a sweeping and many-nuanced view of the young art scene in central and eastern Europe, thus continuing a series of exhibitions that started in 2005.
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FASCINATION PHOTOGRAPHY

Fri, 13.11.2015 - Sun, 31.01.2016

Essl Museum

Photography is the medium of the present day. Never before in the history of mankind have so many moments been captured, never before has human perception been marked as strongly as today by images. With the broadly conceived exhibition Fascination Photography, the Essl Museum dedicates itself to the magic of this medium. On display are works by some of the most significant photographers alive and interesting new discoveries.
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JOHANNA KANDL. TANGIBLE ART

Fri, 09.10.2015 - Sun, 21.02.2016

Large Hall

This solo exhibition for the Austrian artists Johanna Kandl again confirms one of the tasks the Essl Museum has been committed to since its inception: to promote and present to the general public significant contemporary Austrian artists.
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GERMAN ART SINCE 1960

SELECTED WORKS FROM THE ESSL COLLECTION
Wed, 24.06.2015 - Sun, 15.11.2015

Exhibition Hall

The second most important focus of the Essl Collection, after Austrian art post-1945, lies on German artists. Unprecedented in Austria in scope and depth, this comprehensive exhibition of German art after 1960 provides unique insights.
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The Wild Years

Wed, 18.03.2015 - Sun, 31.05.2015

Large Hall

In the late 1970s to early 1980s, young artists everywhere responded to the highly theory-driven artistic stances and debates of the 1970s with a bold and carefree style of painting geared to the predominant zeitgeist. The representatives of the so-called Neue Wilde (New Wild) were often art students whose brazenly expressive and gestural paintings were produced fast, based on gut feeling rather than theory.
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PETER PONGRATZ

A RETROSPECTIVE
Wed, 18.03.2015 - Sun, 07.06.2015

Exhibition Hall

In 2015, the Austrian artist Peter Pongratz turns 75. In celebration of his birthday, the Essl Museum devotes a major retrospective to the artist which reflects all periods of his career and also includes recent work never shown in public before.
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ABORIGINAL ART

Fri, 30.01.2015 - Sun, 18.10.2015

The Galleries

The collector Karlheinz Essl made his first extensive journey through Australia as early as 2000, in which he was able to get to know the art and culture of the indigenous people of Australia. Fascinated by the independent spirituality and force of the works of the Aboriginal people, in 2001 he organised the exhibition >Dreamtime<, which, with many loan works, illustrated the enormous spectrum of art of the Australian Aborigines.
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weltenbummler

abenteuer kunst
Sun, 09.11.2014 - Sun, 01.03.2015

Large Hall

>weltenbummler. abenteuer kunst< is an exhibition project with a participatory character. Initiated by the Essl Museum’s art education team it was developed on the basis of input from school children and visitor groups.
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the future of painting

a perspective
Fri, 03.10.2014 - Sun, 22.02.2015

Exhibition Hall

Does painting have a future? How has painting changed recently? What forward-looking positions are there in Austria? From 3 October 2014, based on 23 new artistic positions, the exhibition >the future of painting< will provide answers to these questions.
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adolf frohner (1934 - 2007)

five decades of painting, graphics, object
Fri, 05.09.2014 - Sun, 11.01.2015

The Galleries

The Essl Museum is pleased to present the first retrospective of Adolf Frohner’s work in more than ten years at the occasion of his anniversary.
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austrian modernism

staudacher and contemporaries
Sat, 14.06.2014 - Sun, 19.10.2014

Large Hall

At the centre of the exhibition are the lyrical-abstract works of Hans Staudacher, which the self-taught artist has painted since the 1950s. His informal works, committed to gestural painting, are related to and supplemented by works by three representatives of the “St. Stefan” group (Wolfgang Hollegha, Josef Mikl, Markus Prachensky), founded in 1956.
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attersee and the miracle of colour

the essl collection in the schömer haus
Fri, 16.05.2014 - Sun, 12.07.2015

Schömer-Haus

Christian Ludwig Attersee forms the centre of this year’s exhibition in the Schömer House. The central floor of the oval gallery is dedicated to this important Austrian painter. In his theatrically staged image puzzles of the 1980s and 90s, objects merge with one another and thereby reduce their original function to the absurd.
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the other view

collector and artist
Wed, 19.03.2014 - Sun, 31.08.2014

Exhibition Hall

With the exhibition >die andere sicht< [the other view] Agnes Essl presents works by 27 Austrian artists. She is curating the exhibition herself, and thereby puts the focus on the relationship between the woman as a collector and the female artist.

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made in austria

statement by karlheinz essl
Thu, 27.02.2014 - Sun, 03.08.2014

The Galleries

>made in austria< is the exhibition that gives its name to the 2014 motto of the Essl Museum, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Karlheinz Essl, who is curating the exhibition himself, is putting his personal heavyweights of recent Austrian art history in relation to one another in the form of spatial dialogues.
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deborah sengl

the last days of mankind
Fri, 31.01.2014 - Sun, 25.05.2014

Large Hall

For her first museum presentation the Austrian artist Deborah Sengl has created an installation that combines history, literature and contemporary art in an extraordinary way. With some 200 stuffed white rats, she is staging The "Last Days of Mankind" after Karl Kraus in 44 individual scenes.
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Curators: Johanna Langfelder-Hain,
Viktoria Tomek

TRANSCENDING CULTURES

ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2013
Fri, 06.12.2013 - Sun, 02.03.2014

Exhibition Hall

What moves young artists nowadays? How do they cope with social, political and cultural shifts and sea changes? What role do national cultural traditions play, which international art trends are reflected? Which is their preferred media?
>TRANSCEDING CULTURES< opens up a space for cross border dialogues and diverse discourse.
 
 
 
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LIKE IT!

#likeit
Wed, 23.10.2013 - Sun, 12.01.2014

Large Hall

With >LIKE IT< the Essl Museum is presenting the first exhibition created and curated by members of a social network. In the run-up, on the Essl Museum’s Facebook page it was possible to vote for the works that will be shown in the exhibition.

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Curator: Günther Oberhollenzer

SEHNSUCHT ICH

(Longing for myself)
Fri, 27.09.2013 - Wed, 12.02.2014

The Galleries

“One cannot teach a man anything. One can only enable him to learn from within himself”. Galileo Galilei

What constitutes us as people? How can an image register the person in his or her self and his or her world? What does it tell us about the artist?

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Curators: Veit Loers

KURT KOCHERSCHEIDT

Wed, 04.09.2013 - Sun, 17.11.2013

Exhibition Hall

The Essl Museum is dedicating the first major Kurt Kocherscheidt retrospective for ten years to the artist who died in 1992.
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Curator: Andreas Hoffer

SUMMER PAINTINGS

Summertime at the Essl Museum
Wed, 19.06.2013 - Wed, 02.10.2013

Large Hall

Enjoy art in an airy, fresh and relaxing atmosphere this summer at the Essl Museum. Four paintings by Sigmar Polke, a giant icecone by Donald Baechler, a beach szene by Wolfgang Herzig and other art works with a summer feeling give cause to linger.
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Curator: Günther Oberhollenzer

TIM EITEL

Visitor
Wed, 05.06.2013 - Sun, 15.09.2013

The Galleries

The work of Tim Eitel will be presented in a solo museum exhibition for the first time in Austria. Eitel’s quiet, sometimes contemplative pictures show green areas of the natural world and cool museum rooms often with isolated people wrapped in thought.
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Curator: René Block

A LITTLE MIGHT MUSIC

Report from the Depot
Wed, 08.05.2013 - Sun, 18.08.2013

Exhibition Hall

With >A Little Might Music . . . Report from the Depot<, curator René Block seeks to juxtapose the curator's feeling of powerlessness to the power of images. Artistic trends of 1960s' Austria such as Viennese Actionism, avant-garde tendencies as well as their later impacts will be the main focus.
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Curators: Prof. Agnes Essl and Andreas Hoffer

HEAVEN IN THE GARDEN

Nature – Landscapes. Works from the Essl Collection
Wed, 17.04.2013 - Sun, 27.04.2014

Schömer-Haus

The series of presentations of current painting from the Essl Collection in the Schömer-Haus continues. This time the exhibition, curated by the collector Agnes Essl and Andreas Hoffer, focuses on the natural world. A work by the Danish artist Per Kirkeby lends the exhibition its title: „Heaven in the Garden“.
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Curator: Günther Oberhollenzer

MARTIN SCHNUR

Pretence
Fri, 01.02.2013 - Sun, 09.06.2013

Large Hall

Martin Schnur is one of Austria’s up and coming painters. The Essl Museum acknowledges his work with a large-scale museum presentation that takes a look at the extensive creations of recent years. The exhibition shows large-format oil paintings on canvas, paintings on copper and pastels and object works with which Schnur draws on his training as a sculptor.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

GEORG BASELITZ

Works from 1968 to 2012
Fri, 18.01.2013 - Sun, 26.05.2013

Exhibition Hall

On the occasion of the 75th birthday of Georg Baselitz, the Essl collector couple are dedicating an extensive exhibition to their long-standing friend and great German artist. Forty-four works by Baselitz from four decades will be shown.
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Curator: John Silvis

NEW. NEW YORK

from the series >emerging artists<
Fri, 23.11.2012 - Sun, 14.04.2013

Exhibition Hall

New York, often described as the world capital of contemporary art, is the focus of exhibition activity in the Essl Museum this autumn. >NEW. NEW YORK< offers an insight into the work of 19 young artists from New York. A vibrant young art scene has developed in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in recent years, with numerous ateliers, culture initiatives and alternative art spaces.
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Curator: Günther Oberhollenzer

XENIA HAUSNER

ÜberLeben
Wed, 24.10.2012 - Sun, 20.01.2013

Large Hall

The >XENIA HAUSNER. ÜberLeben< exhibition gives a deep insight into the work of the important Austrian painter Xenia Hausner. Recent large-format figurative paintings from various international collections can be seen as well as new works that have been specifically produced for the exhibition.
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Curators: Prof. Agnes Essl, Andreas Hoffer, Günther Oberhollenzer

DER GEMALTE RAUM / PAINTED SPACE

Works from the Essl Collection in the Schömer-House
Fri, 28.09.2012 - Mon, 01.04.2013

Schömer-Haus

The exhibition “Der Gemalte Raum” [Painted Space] in the gallery annex of the Essl Museum focuses on the relationship between art, space and architecture. The themes of the presentation are space as an area in the picture but also built and enclosed space in architecture as an occasion for painting.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

ALEX KATZ

Sat, 15.09.2012 - Sun, 06.01.2013

The Galleries

On the occasion of the 85th birthday of Alex Katz the Essl Museum is showing Austria’s largest ever exhibition of the artist’s paintings. It will include more than 30 paintings, as well as draft drawings, preparatory oil sketches and “cartoons”.
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Curators: Team of the Essl Museum

THE COLLECTION

Sarah Morris, Josef Mikl, Jonathan Meese, Maria Lassnig, Hermann Nitsch, Sam Francis, Arnulf Rainer, Herbert Brandl
Wed, 20.06.2012 - Sun, 02.09.2012

The Galleries

With the exhibition “The Collection” Agnes and Karlheinz Essl are granting an exciting new insight into the stocks in their collection. With works by Sarah Morris, Josef Mikl, Jonathan Meese, Maria Lassnig, Hermann Nitsch, Sam Francis, Arnulf Rainer and Herbert Brandl.
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Curator: Silvia Köpf

CECILY BROWN

Wed, 20.06.2012 - Sun, 07.10.2012

Large Hall

The Essl Museum is giving the London- born painter Cecily Brown (*1969) her first large-scale museum presentation in Austria. It will show completely new works and a block of work with drawings that come directly from her studio in New York. The basis of the exhibition is formed by five of Brown’s works from the Essl Collection, which are supplemented by international loans. The result provides a retrospective of the artist’s work over the last decade.
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Curators: Andreas Hoffer in cooperation with Andrea Kasamas

FRANZ ZADRAZIL

Vienna Paris New York
Wed, 30.05.2012 - Sun, 28.10.2012

Exhibition Hall

With more than 60 works, the Franz Zadrazil retrospective in the Essl Museum will cast a fresh light on the work of the Austrian painter who died in 2005. Alongside painting from 1977 to 2004, a large stack of black-and- white photography and an experimental film by Zadrazil from the 1970s will be presented.
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Idea and Concept: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

SILENCE.

Tue, 20.03.2012 - Sun, 20.05.2012

Large Hall

600 sqm, only 2 art works, only 2 persons, but 1 hour of time. An exhibition experiment.


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Curators: Anna Szöke, Andreas Hoffer

SPOTLIGHTS

Video.Art
Fri, 09.03.2012 - Sun, 13.05.2012

Exhibition Hall

The Essl Museum is dedicating a specific exhibition to video art, with twelve works by eleven international artists. All works are part of the Essl Collection, including one of the key works in the evolution of video art Les Larmes D’acier by Marie-Jo Lafontaine, which was shown for the first time in the Documenta in Kassel in 1987.
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Curator: Rudolf Schönwald and Günther Oberhollenzer

RUDOLF SCHÖNWALD

Fri, 09.03.2012 - Sun, 13.05.2012

Exhibition Hall

Giant industrial sites, most of them abandoned, have inspired the Austrian artist Rudolf Schönwald to create a series of industrial drawings on which he has been working for more than three decades. The exhibition presents a comprehensive selection from this unusual graphic oeuvre with a focus on new work which has never been shown in public before.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

ANSELM KIEFER

Works from the Essl Collection
Fri, 03.02.2012 - Tue, 29.05.2012

The Galleries

In February 2012, Anselm Kiefer, one of the most significant artists of the present day, forms the big opening of the exhibition year in the Essl Museum. A new solo exhibition personally furnished by the collector Karlheinz Essl is on show, with 15 works, among them four new main works from the artist’s latest creative period.
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ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2011

Young Art from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia
Fri, 02.12.2011 - Sun, 12.02.2012

Exhibition Hall

From 6 December 2011 the Essl Museum is offering a pioneering overview of the works of young artists from central and eastern Europe.
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FRANZ RINGEL

1940 – 2011
Tue, 01.11.2011 - Wed, 25.01.2012

Foyer

The Essl Museum presents important works from the Essl Collection by the recently deceased Austrian painter.
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Curator: Andreas Hoffer

BEAUTY AND TRANSIENCE

Immendorff. Kounellis. Mušič. Quinn. Spoerri. Tàpies
Wed, 05.10.2011 - Sun, 22.01.2012

Large Hall

Artist stances commenting on existential issues are at the centre of the exhibition >BEAUTY AND TRANSIENCE< at the Essl Museum. The main hall turns into a reflection zone presenting works by Jörg Immendorff, Jannis Kounellis, Zoran Mušič, Marc Quinn, Daniel Spoerri and Antoni Tàpies.
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Curators: Rosa Loy, Neo Rauch, Günther Oberhollenzer

ROSA LOY UND NEO RAUCH

Behind the Gardens
Fri, 02.09.2011 - Wed, 16.11.2011

Exhibition Hall

The internationally recognised Leipzig artists Rosa Loy and Neo Rauch, married since 1985, are for the first time showing their work together in a large exhibition of some 80 works. The artists’ important works in the Essl collection, which form the basis of the show, are supplemented by works on loan, by new, never-beforeshown works direct from the studios and by drawings created by both artists specially for the exhibition.
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Curator: Tobias Rehberger

TOBIAS REHBERGER

Young mothers and other delicate questions
Wed, 29.06.2011 - Sun, 25.09.2011

Large Hall

In 2009, Tobias Rehberger was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennial. The Essl Museum is now devoting the first Austrian solo exhibition to the international shooting star. >Junge Mütter und andere heikle Fragen< (Young Mothers and Other Delicate Questions) will be on show at the Essl Museum’s main hall from 29 June until 25 September 2011.
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Curator: Andreas Hoffer, Günther Oberhollenzer

FOCUS: ABSTRACTION

Works from the Essl Collection
Wed, 08.06.2011 - Sun, 12.02.2012

The Galleries

The Essl Museum’s collection show >FOCUS: ABSTRACTION< is presented together with the Wolfgang Herzig exhibition.
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Curators: Wolfgang Herzig, Andreas Hoffer

WOLFGANG HERZIG

A Realist turns 70
Wed, 08.06.2011 - Tue, 01.11.2011

The Galleries

Wolfgang Herzig’s 70th birthday is a worthy occasion for a retrospective of his work at the Essl Museum, including not only works from past decades but also very recent paintings. Since the 1960s, Herzig has been creating an individualistic, non-conformist oeuvre. Realistic in its orientation, it occupies a singular position in Austrian post-war modernism.
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Curators: Prof. Agnes Essl, Günther Oberhollenzer

PAINTING FOREVER!

Young Artists from the Essl Collection
Wed, 20.04.2011 - Sun, 02.09.2012

Schömer-Haus

At the Schömer-Haus, the art collector Agnes Essl presents her personal selection from the Essl Collection. Co-curated by Günther Oberhollenzer, this show focuses on young representatives of figurative painting. The exhibition features works by Austrian and international artists, including well-known names and artists still awaiting discovery.
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Curators: Günther Oberhollenzer, Heimo Zobernig

HEIMO ZOBERNIG

Fri, 01.04.2011 - Mon, 13.06.2011

Large Hall

From 1 April until 13 June 2011, the Essl Museum will present the solo-exhibition >HEIMO ZOBERNIG<. The exhibition will be complemented by a comprehensive music programme, starting with the Berlin band La Stampa with frontman Jörg Heiser for the opening on 31 March.
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FESTIVAL OF ANIMALS

An exhibition for children. Adults welcome!
Mon, 07.03.2011 - Sun, 21.08.2011

Exhibition Hall

The exhibition >FESTIVAL OF ANIMALS< presents animals - pets, predators, forest dwellers, cuddly toys, nocturnal hunters and fantasy creatures – which inhabit the paintings and sculptures of internationally renowned artists. The exhibition builds on 70-80 works from the holdings of the Essl Collection.
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Curator: Alka Pande, New Delhi

INDIA AWAKENS

Under the Banyan Tree
Fri, 26.11.2010 - Sun, 27.02.2011

Exhibition Hall

From 26 November 2010 to 13 February 2011 the Essl Museum will present >INDIA AWAKENS< showcasing 34 young artists from India. Focusing on contemporary currents and tendency, the show complements last year’s hit exhibition >CHALO! INDIA<, which had been devoted to the established art scene of India.
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Curator and exhibition management: Günther Oberhollenzer

PRIVATE WURM

Wed, 20.10.2010 - Sun, 30.01.2011

Large Hall

With the solo exhibition >PRIVATE WURM<, the Essl Museum presents very recent works by the internationally renowned Austrian artist Erwin Wurm. In the works on display, Wurm takes an ironic and distanced look at changes in the perception of reality and identity triggered by the media.
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Curator: Albert Oehlen

BEAUTIFUL KLOSTERNEUBURG

Albert Oehlen hangs paintings from the Essl Collection „And if your eye makes you stumble, tear it out” (Matthew 5,29)
Fri, 10.09.2010 - Sun, 30.01.2011

The Galleries

With the exhibition >BEAUTIFUL KLOSTERNEUBURG. Albert Oehlen hangs paintings from the Essl Collection “And if your eye makes you stumble, tear it out” (Matthew 5, 29)<, running from 10 September 2010 to 8 May 2011, the Essl Museum is offering a completely new take on the art collection of Agnes und Karlheinz Essl.
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Curator and exhibition management: Andreas Hoffer and Anna Szöke

NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE

In the Garden of Imagination
Fri, 21.05.2010 - Sun, 26.09.2010

Large Hall

With the exhibition >NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE – In the Garden of Imagination<, the Essl Museum offers a retrospective look at the work of the artist who died in 2002. Early assemblages, Tirs (Shooting Paintings), objects and sculptures from the famous Tarot Garden in Tuscany, work created together with Jean Tinguely, as well as the famous Nanas will be on show.
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Curator: Prof. Agnes Essl

WEGGEFÄHRTEN / ASSOCIATES OF LONG STANDING

From the beginnings of the collection
Thu, 22.04.2010 - Fri, 18.02.2011

Schömer-Haus

In this exhibition, the art collector Agnes Essl takes a look at artists whose work has been represented in The Essl Collection from its inception and who have become creative associates of long standing.
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Curator: Edelbert Köb

MAX WEILER (1910 - 2001) – THE NATURE OF PAINTING

The nature of painting
Fri, 19.03.2010 - Sun, 29.08.2010

The Galleries

In Max Weiler’s impressive oeuvre, spanning a period of 70 years, the work phase between 1962 - 1967 assumes a special position, which has not yet been adequately addressed in the comprehensive, existing reception of the artist’s work.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

CORSO

Insights into the Essl Collection
Fri, 29.01.2010 - Sun, 07.11.2010

Exhibition Hall

With more than 7000 works by international contemporary artists, the collection of Karlheinz and Agnes Essl offers a unique view on contemporary art. Austrian painting after 1945 forms the core of the collection, which was extended in the 1990s to include international artists. This offers a great opportunity for comparisons between Austrian and international artistic stances.
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Curator: Hubert Scheibl

HUBERT SCHEIBL

Fat Ducks
Fri, 29.01.2010 - Sun, 09.05.2010

Large Hall

With an exhibition in the central hall and Rotunda, involving 8 large-format canvases, more than 50 works on paper and several sculptures, the Essl Museum offers an insight into the work of Hubert Scheibl.
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ESSL ART AWARD CEE 2009

The Winners
Fri, 04.12.2009 - Sun, 17.01.2010

Exhibition Hall

The Essl Art Award CEE 2009 was awarded in December 2009 for the third time to young art students from Croatia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia. The exhibition shows works by the winners of the 2009 award and presents a broad and multi-layered insight into the young art scene of Central and South Eastern Europe.
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Curators: international museum directors

ASPECTS OF COLLECTING

Fri, 20.11.2009 - Sun, 07.02.2010

The Galleries

On the occasion of its 10th anniversary in 2009, the Essl Museum has invited ten international museums to take part in the exhibition project >ASPECTS OF COLLECTING<. All participating institutions and museums received a certain budget and were asked to acquire works of art they considered interesting and significant.
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Curator: Daniel Richter

DANIEL RICHTER

Fri, 23.10.2009 - Sun, 07.02.2010

Large Hall

This is the first time that the Essl Museum presents the large-format figural works by Richter, which roused great international attention for the artist. They are shown in connection with the abstract paintings created in the 1990s.
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Curator: Akiko Miki

CHALO! INDIA

A new Era of Indian Art
Wed, 02.09.2009 - Sun, 01.11.2009

Exhibition Hall

With the exhibition >CHALO! INDIA. A New Era of Indian Art<, the Essl Museum offers impressive insights into the contemporary Indian art scene.
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Curator: Cornelius Kolig, Herbert Gras

CORNELIUS KOLIG

Paradise
Fri, 15.05.2009 - Sun, 11.10.2009

Large Hall

As a first in Austria, the Essl Museum presents a comprehensive individual exhibition of Cornelius Kolig and his "Paradies" – a Gesamtkunstwerk he has created over the past three decades. Working in the tradition of Vienna Actionism, the object artist, painter and sculptor Cornelius Kolig ruthlessly obliterates the demarcation between art and life.
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Curators: Alfons Schilling, Günther Oberhollenzer

ALFONS SCHILLING

In Celebration of his 75th Birthday
Fri, 20.02.2009 - Sun, 09.08.2009

Exhibition Hall

The Essl Museum presents a personal exhibition of works by Alfons Schilling, who will celebrate his 75th birthday in 2009.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

BRANDNEW

Acquisitions 2007 - 2008
Fri, 20.02.2009 - Sun, 09.08.2009

Large Hall

What’s new at Sammlung Essl? The collection of international contemporary art acquired by Agnes und Karlheinz Essl has been steadily growing in recent years.
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Curator: Prof. Rudi Fuchs

post COBRA

Alechinsky Appel Jorn
Fri, 23.01.2009 - Sun, 16.08.2009

The Galleries

The exhibition presents approx. 60 works from the holdings of Sammlung Essl and showcases the work of Asger Jorn, Karel Appel and Pierre Alechinsky. All three artists were members of the COBRA group (1948-1951), whose name is derived from the initial letters of the cities Copenhagen, Brussels and Amsterdam.
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Curator: Christine Humpl

AUSTRIA conTEMPORARY

Fri, 14.11.2008 - Sun, 08.02.2009

Exhibition Hall

The >emerging artists< series, which has been organised at the Essl Museum since 2000, presents artists and places that have not yet established a strong presence on the art market, but have the potential to make a great impact in years to come. 2008 the main focus is on artists living and working in Austria.
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Curators: Muntean/Rosenblum together with Günther Oberhollenzer

MUNTEAN / ROSENBLUM

Between what was and what might be
Fri, 12.09.2008 - Sun, 01.02.2009

Large Hall

The Essl Museum is mounting a large solo presentation with new pictures and films by the Vienna-based artist duo Markus Muntean and Adi Rosenblum.  A series of new large-scale works has been created specifically for this exhibition and will be shown straight from the artists’ studio, complemented by works from the Collection Essl.
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Curator: Christine Humpl

TAL R

Prince Fruit
Fri, 13.06.2008 - Sun, 24.08.2008

Large Hall

Two complete artwork series, an artist’s book and a look at recent works fresh from the studio of Tal R await visitors in this exhibition at the Essl Museum.
 
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

THE COLLECTION

Fri, 13.06.2008 - Sun, 11.01.2009

The Galleries

Based on exhibitions and new acquisitions of recent years, Prof. Essl has hand-picked a selection of artworks for six exhibition spaces which offer an in-depth insight into the comprehensive collection of approximately 6,000 works of art. The seventh room will host a sound and light installation by Ramón González-Arroyo.
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Curators: Karin Schneider, Friedemann Derschmidt, Tal Adler, Amal Murkus

OVERLAPPING VOICES

Israeli and Palestinian Artists
Fri, 16.05.2008 - Sun, 26.10.2008

Exhibition Hall

The display of the exhibition aligns itself with what has become the museum’s established tradition of showcasing one region per year that is beyond the ambit of general artistic awareness. This year’s presentation will feature a compelling selection of works by Israeli and Palestinian artists.
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Curator: Prof. Agnes Essl

MASTERPIECES FROM THE ESSL COLLECTION

Fri, 11.04.2008 - Mon, 29.03.2010

Schömer-Haus

Prof. Agnes Essl shows Masterpieces from the Essl Collection in a very personal selection. The exhibition presents a dialogue between Austrian painting from 1945 and contemporary painting from Europe, the USA and China.
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Curator: Günther Förg

GÜNTHER FÖRG

Back and Forth
Fri, 22.02.2008 - Sun, 01.06.2008

Large Hall

In the spring of 2008, the Essl Museum celebrates “great painters”. The German painter, sculptor and photographer Günther Förg presents a cross-section of his current artwork in the Large Hall of the Essl Museum.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

BASELITZ TO LASSNIG

Masterpieces
Fri, 22.02.2008 - Sun, 25.05.2008

The Galleries

Works from the Essl Collection by Georg Baselitz, Markus Lüpertz, Anselm Kiefer, Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Maria Lassnig and Arnulf Rainer. Painting forever!
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

JÖRG IMMENDORF

Fri, 25.01.2008 - Sun, 20.04.2008

Exhibition Hall

The exhibition presents more than 70 works by Jörg Immendorff, exclusively owned by the Essl Collection. With this exhibition, the Essl Museum wishes to honour the artist Jörg Immendorff, who died in May 2007, and with whom the collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl shared a long-lasting friendship.
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ESSL ART AWARD EXHIBITION 2007

The Winners
Wed, 05.12.2007 - Sun, 10.02.2008

The Galleries

The works submitted by the winners of the 2007 Essl Award are characterised by great diversity of media and intriguing creative approaches. Conceptual work, painting, photography, video and spectacular installations provide insights into the young contemporary art scene of the respective countries of central and southeast Europe.
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A TRIBUTE

Thu, 15.11.2007 - Fri, 28.03.2008

Schömer-Haus

The exhibition presents artistic greetings from artists, whose works are represented in the Essl Collection, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the collection.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl and Günther Oberhollenzer

PRACHENSKY

Early and late Works
Fri, 12.10.2007 - Sun, 13.01.2008

Essl Museum

From 10 October 07 until 13 January 08, the Essl Museum presents a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Markus Prachensky, one of Austria’s leading avant-garde artists.
For more than 50 years, Markus Prachensky’s gestural brushstroke has resulted in powerful paintings full of expressivity and passion.
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Curator: Jonathan Meese

JONATHAN MEESE

Miss Atlantis
Fri, 21.09.2007 - Sun, 03.02.2008

Large Hall

The painter, sculptor and excessive performance artist Jonathan Meese is regarded as a shooting star among young German artists. At the Essl Museum the gently irate art rampager will convert the Large Hall into an overflowing pressure chamber, in which objects, pictures and sounds will be blended into a bubbling volcanic flow.
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Curator: Sini Zein

FOTO.KUNST

Contemporary Photography from The Essl Collection
Thu, 06.09.2007 - Sun, 25.11.2007

The Galleries

Since the first acquisitions in the late 1980s, the collection of contemporary photography has meanwhile grown to 1,000 works by national as well as international artists. This exhibition is the first to offer a representative insight into the photo holdings of The Essl Collection.
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PASSION FOR ART

35 Years Essl Collection
Thu, 15.03.2007 - Sun, 26.08.2007

Essl Museum

To mark the 35th anniversary of their collection, Agnes and Karlheinz Essl are presenting the unique jubilee show >PASSION FOR ART<. From more than 6,000 art works, curator Karlheinz Essl has selected more than 400 works by 160 internationally renowned artists to be displayed at the Essl Museum and Schömer-Haus.
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emerging artists 06

Switzerland
Fri, 17.11.2006 - Sun, 25.02.2007

Exhibition Hall

The Essl Collection presents a neighbouring country, Switzerland, whose “young“ scene is little known in Austria. The curators appreciated this as an opportunity to discover Swiss >emerging artists<. From more than 500 entries, the curators chose a shortlist of 40 artists who they went to see in their studios in Switzerland.
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RECENT ACQUISITIONS OF YOUNG PAINTING

Fri, 17.11.2006 - Tue, 20.02.2007

Large Hall

One of the central media in The Essl Collection is and will be painting. Particularly young artists demonstrate the vibrancy of this medium that has so often been pronounced dead. This is why the exhibition presents newly acquired works by young painters.
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CHINA NOW

Art in Times of Change
Fri, 15.09.2006 - Sun, 28.01.2007

Essl Museum

The exhibition >CHINA NOW<, 15 September 06 – 28 January 07 is the first opportunity in Austria to compare the explosive potential of heterogeneous artistic approaches in Chinese contemporary art. At The Essl Collection, the independent curator and critic Feng Boyi, member of the “Chinese Artists’ Association“, presents more than 100 works by 42 artists.
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Curator: Andreas Hoffer

TRAUMA UND TRAUM

The Berlin-Koffer by Johanes Zechner
Fri, 15.09.2006 - Sun, 05.11.2006

Large Hall

>Berlin-Koffer< (Berlin-Suitcase, 2002-2003; Annex 2006) is the most recent example of “suitcase works“ by the Austrian painter Johanes Zechner. The artist has developed an installation for the Large Hall at The Essl Collection
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Curator: Andrea Rygg Karberg

PIERRES SOULAGES

Painting the Light
Fri, 30.06.2006 - Sun, 03.09.2006

Large Hall

Pierre Soulages, born in 1919, is often classified as a gestural painter of the 1950s. Since 1979, his new style of painting – outrenoir painting – has strengthened the interactivity between the art object, painter, observer, light, space and time, which also shows him as a painter of the present day.
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MESSENSEE - ZOOM

Fri, 30.06.2006 - Sun, 17.09.2006

Exhibition Hall

The thematically organised exhibition shows numerous works in Messensee Zoom for the first time: Among others “Piscina di Venere”, an installation of jet prints that, at a height of five metres, take up the rotunda. In addition, there is “Portrait E”, a kind of projection, which is accompanied by a composition by Karlheinz Essl jr.
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MADE IN LEIPZIG

Pictures from a City
Wed, 31.05.2006 - Sun, 03.09.2006

The Galleries

As an Austrian premiere, The Essl Collection will now present works by the young artists who have become the stars of the “New School of Leipzig” under the successful trademark of “MADE IN LEIPZIG“. The exhibition comprises approximately 100 works by 29 artists and covers the period from 1960 up until today.
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MEX 1995-2005

Mexcian Modernism
Thu, 27.04.2006 - Thu, 18.05.2006

The Art Storage Rooms

The Essl Collection is continually growing through acquisitions from Eastern Europe, the USA, Australia, China and Mexico. In 2005, Mexican art was presented for the first time. The current exhibition is a follow-up to the exhibition in 2005 and shows recent acquisitions.
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Curators: Silvie Aigner & Wieland Schmidt

AUSTRIA: 1900 - 2000

Confrontations and Continuities
Fri, 17.02.2006 - Sun, 21.05.2006

Essl Museum

The exhibition will feature 111 artists from the areas of painting, sculpture, drawing and the new media. The presentation of approx. 270 works of art will span The Essl Collection’s entire exhibition premises of 3.200 square metres.
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Permanent 06

Fri, 13.01.2006 - Tue, 12.12.2006

Schömer-Haus

>PERMANENT 06< offers an insight into the Essl Collection by placing personal emphases, so that the focal points in the collection programme of Agnes and Karlheinz Essl can be re-experienced. The 54 works of the 2006 permanent collection are displayed at the Schömer-Haus.
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Project management: Sini Zein

ESSL AWARD 2005

for Central and Southeastern Europe
Fri, 11.11.2005 - Sun, 29.01.2006

The Galleries

 The Essl Award is presented in 2005 for the first time ever and is dedicated to the promotion and mediation of contemporary art from Central and Southeast Europe. This art prize is addressed at all students (also doctoral students) from partner academies of The Essl Collection.
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Kuratorin: Christine Humpl

HOTSPOTS

emerging artists
Fri, 11.11.2005 - Sun, 29.01.2006

Exhibition Hall

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Kurator: Andreas Hoffer

ESSLSBRÜCKE

Thu, 13.10.2005 - Mon, 12.12.2005

Schömer-Haus

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Curator: Sonja Traar

FRANZ RINGEL

Stations of a Journey
Wed, 07.09.2005 - Tue, 01.11.2005

Exhibition Hall

Collection will house the exhibition "Stations of a Journey" on the occasion of Franz Ringel’s 65th birthday. The journey through the artist’s creative periods encompasses more than 95 exhibits from 1957 up to 2005, among them 64 pieces from the Essl Collection, 12 loans, as well as numerous recent works, some directly from his workshop.
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Curators: Prof. Karlheinz Essl, Andreas Hoffer

FIGURE/SCULPTURE

Fri, 24.06.2005 - Sun, 29.01.2006

Large Hall

>figur / sculpture< is the spectacular first presentation of the sculptures acquired – most of them recently – by The Essl Collection. The curators considered it important to present sculpture in an innovative manner. The viewers will be given the opportunity to contemplate and interpret the sculptures in thematic “dialogue-groups”.
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Kurator: Jean Frémon

TAPIES / RAINER

Porteurs de Secret
Fri, 24.06.2005 - Tue, 01.11.2005

The Galleries

Arnulf Rainer and Antoni Tàpies are two of the most significant European contemporary artists.For years, exhibition curator and writer Jean Frémon has been exploring the work of the two artists through exhibitions and publications. In the exhibition Frémon creates an exciting dialogue of about 90 works by Rainer and Tàpies from the holdings of The Essl Collection, presented side by side for the first time.
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Curator: Christine Humpl

MARIA LASSNIG

body.fiction.nature
Wed, 20.04.2005 - Sun, 28.08.2005

Exhibition Hall

Six years after the last major exhibition of works by Maria Lassnig in Austria, The Essl Collection now presents the first large-scale individual exhibition of works by the artist from The Essl Collection’s own holdings.The focus of the exhibition lies on artworks from the last three decades.
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Curator: Prof. Luis-Martín Lozano

MEXICAN MODERNISM

Masterpieces from the Museo de Arte
Fri, 18.03.2005 - Sun, 12.06.2005

The Galleries

From March to June 2005, the Essl Collection is the setting for an unique exhibition on artwork from Mexico: on show are paintings from the 1920s to the 80s as well as selected prints. For the first time ever these 59 exhibits by more than 30 Mexican artists, on loan from the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City, can be seen outside this Museum, where they were presented until now only in the permanent collection.
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Kuratoren: Agnes Essl, Andreas Hoffer

PETER SENGL

on the occasion of the artist's 60th birthday
Fri, 18.03.2005 - Sun, 05.06.2005

Large Hall

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Curator: Prof. Agnes Essl

IR/REAL

Tendencies of realism in Austria from 1945
Fri, 18.02.2005 - Tue, 31.01.2006

Schömer-Haus

Proceeding from the Viennese School of Fantastic Realism represented by artists like Arik Brauer, Rudolf Hausner, Anton Lehmden, Ernst Fuchs and others, Agnes Essl presents aspects of post-war Austrian Realism from the Essl Collection.
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Curator: Caroline Bourgeois

VALIE EXPORT

an overview
Fri, 11.02.2005 - Sun, 10.04.2005

Exhibition Hall

The oeuvre of one of the most significant protagonists of contemporary media art is honoured by a comprehensive solo exhibition at The Essl Collection. Curated by Caroline Bourgeois, the travelling exhibition has been organized in co-operation with the Centre National de la Photographie (CNP) in Paris and has already been on show in Seville, Geneva and London.
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Curator: Andreas Hoffer

ANSELM KIEFER AND CONTEMPORARIES

Recent acquisitions
Thu, 25.11.2004 - Sun, 13.03.2005

Large Hall

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Curator: Barbara Steffen

VISIONS of AMERICA

Contemporary art from the Essl Collection and the Sonnabend Collection, New York
Thu, 21.10.2004 - Sun, 06.03.2005

Essl Museum

The exhibition >VISIONS of AMERICA< presents more than 130 works of art by American artists from two important private collections, the New York-based Sonnabend Collection and the Essl Collection.
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Concept and idea: Karlheinz Essl & Michael Eather

SPIRIT & VISION

Aboriginal Art
Fri, 02.04.2004 - Sun, 03.10.2004

Exhibition Hall

With >SPIRIT & VISION – Aboriginal Art<, on view from 2 April – 29 August 2004, the Essl Collection offers further insights into Aboriginal Art after the successful 2001 exhibition >DREAMTIME<. Apart from the presentation of contemporary works of art that are closely connected to traditional Aboriginal culture (“spirit”), the exhibition focuses on new tendencies and new media (“vision”).
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HOLLEGHA

Thu, 19.02.2004 - Sun, 18.04.2004

Large Hall

The exhibition is held on the occasion of Wolfgang Hollegha's 75th birthday.
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Idea and concept: Florian Steininger

NEUE WILDE

A progression
Wed, 21.01.2004 - Sun, 21.03.2004

Exhibition Hall

In the 1980s, young Austrian artists became known as the Neue Wilde (new wild artists): Siegfried Anzinger, Erwin Bohatsch, Herbert Brandl, Gunter Damisch, Josef Danner, Josef Kern, Alois Mosbacher, Hubert Scheibl, Hubert Schmalix, Walter Vopava and Otto Zitko. As precursors, Maria Lassnig, Rudolf Goessl, Franz Grabmayr and Kurt Kocherscheidt exerted a decisive influence on the art of this generation.
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Curator: Agnes Essl

ST. STEPHAN

Wolfgang Hollegha, Josef Mikl, Markus Prachensky, Arnulf Rainer
in honour of Monsignore Otto Mauer
Fri, 12.12.2003 - Tue, 07.12.2004

Schömer-Haus

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Concept: Hermann Nitsch and Karlheinz Essl

NITSCH

A Retrospective.Works from The Essl Collection
Fri, 17.10.2003 - Sun, 08.02.2004

Essl Museum

The Essl Collection marks the occasion of Hermann Nitsch’s 65th birthday with a comprehensive retrospective, comprising 180 works held by The Essl Collection. Friends for many years, Hermann Nitsch and Karlheinz Essl have jointly developed this exhibition.
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Curator: Prof. Karlheinz Essl

PERMANENT 04

Meisterwerke aus der Sammlung Essl
Thu, 02.10.2003 - Sun, 03.10.2004

The Galleries

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PERMANENT 04

presented by collector Karlheinz Essl
Sun, 29.06.2003 - Sun, 14.09.2003

Large Hall

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Curator: Harald Szeemann

BLOOD & HONEY

The future's in the Balkans
Fri, 16.05.2003 - Sun, 28.09.2003

Essl Museum

The Essl Collection presents the exhibition BLOOD & HONEY - the future's in the balkans, curated by Harald Szeemann. The comprehensive, large-scale exhibition shows contemporary art from 11 countries in south-eastern Europe and features works by fifty artists from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Rumania, Slovenia, Turkey and Serbia-Montenegro.
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Kurator: Gabi Bösch, Christine Humpl

emerging artists 2003

Wed, 19.02.2003 - Wed, 17.12.2003

The Art Storage Rooms

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Kuratorin: Sonja Traar

NAKED & MOBILE - ELKE KRYSTUFEK

Wed, 12.02.2003 - Sun, 27.04.2003

Exhibition Hall

From 12 February – 27 April 2003, The Essl Collection will host a comprehensive exhibition of the work of Austrian artist Elke Krystufek (*1970). For the first time, an overview is presented of her work from the late 1980s to the present. In recent years, her performances, photographs, videos, installations, collages and paintings have gained Elke Krystufek international recognition and a great deal of attention.
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Kurator: Prof. Agnes Essl, Andreas Hoffer

DIE FIGUR IN DER MALEREI

in honour of Hans Fronius
Fri, 17.01.2003 - Mon, 01.12.2003

Schömer-Haus

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Kurator: Gabi Bösch

ANZINGER / LEBSCHIK

Wed, 06.11.2002 - Sun, 02.02.2003

Exhibition Hall

Starting on 06 November 2002 The Essl Collection will present the latest works of Siegfried Anzinger in the Exhibition Hall and a representative selection from the series >Mädchenbilder< by Marie Luise Lebschik in the 'Little Hall'.  Art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl have developed the idea for the exhibition in co-operation with the artists.
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[UN]GEMALT

Wed, 17.07.2002 - Sun, 27.10.2002

Exhibition Hall

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Kurator: Gabi Bösch

LOIS RENNER

Intervention
Fri, 26.04.2002 - Sun, 30.06.2002

Exhibition Hall

From 26 April to 30 June 2002, the "Small Hall" of the Essl Collection's museum building will feature a special show as part of the exhibition IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE Photo \ Art. Entitled Intervention, it is devoted to Austrian Artist Lois Renner.
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PAINT THE TOWN RED, WHITE AND BLUE. A FLAG SERIES

A Photo-Installation from Hannes Priesch
Fri, 22.03.2002 - Sun, 30.06.2002

Foyer

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Kuratoren: Karlheinz Essl, Andreas Hoffer

PERMANENT 02

Meisterwerke aus der Sammlung Essl
Fri, 01.03.2002 - Sat, 17.05.2003

The Galleries

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Curator: Gabriele Bösch

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

Foto \ Kunst
Fri, 15.02.2002 - Sun, 30.06.2002

Exhibition Hall

From 15 February to 30 June 2002, The Essl Collection will host the exhibition In the Blink of an Eye – Photo \ Art. The exhibition was conceived by Dr. Gabriele Bösch, Managing Curator of the collection, to invite a discourse between artistic photography and contemporary painting, which represents the main focus of Agnes and Karlheinz Essl's interest as collectors.
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Kurator: Gabi Bösch, Christine Humpl

emerging artists 2002

Thu, 24.01.2002 - Thu, 12.12.2002

The Art Storage Rooms

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adolf frohner (1934 - 2007)

five decades of painting, graphics, object
The Essl Museum is pleased to present the first retrospective of Adolf Frohner’s work in more than ten years at the occasion of his anniversary.
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