Gottfried Helnwein v Rudolfinu
Kurátor Petr Nedoma hovoří na téma Gottfried Hellnwein zde
Výstava Angels Sleeping sleduje základní témata díla rakouského umělce Gottfrieda Helnweina (nar. 1948 ve Vídni). Autor se stal záhy pojmem v oblasti hyperrealistické malby, v zobrazení osamělého a zraňovaného člověka. Četné citáty z popkultury, fotograficky přesné detaily často monochromní, povrchově hladké, precizní malby navozují pocit podivné směsi důvěrně známého a jasně čitelného v kontrastu k tušené hrozbě, k nejasnému pocitu vyšinutí řádu, jež ohrožuje. Metafoře Helnweinova umění, i když často obsahuje rysy autoportrétu, dominuje obraz dítěte, které se obvykle nachází v mezním postavení, v krajně vypjaté situaci.
Celá výstava je rozčleněna do pěti oddílů, které – nikoliv chronologicky – představí podstatné momenty a témata Helnweinova díla s důrazem na převážně malířskou tvorbu posledních let. Úvodní skupinu tvoří autoportréty, včetně ikonického autoportrétu umělcovy tváře znetvořené obvazy a kovovými předměty, který je metaforou nemožnosti svobodného vyjádření v Rakousku 70. a 80. let. Nelítostný umělcův postoj k reliktům a reziduím nacistické minulosti jeho vlasti je rovněž námětem druhé skupiny děl. Těžištěm Helnweinovy tvorby je ovšem téma dítěte, jímž se systematicky zabývá v nejrůznějších polohách a uměleckých technikách od ranných kreseb až po současnost. Souboru obrazů s tímto námětem bude věnován největší prostor. Násilí na dětech v kontrastu s jejich pasivní vystaveností, bolestným údivem a nemožností se bránit světu dospělých, je v dalším oddíle, nazvaném poněkud ironicky Art in Amerika, posunuto do polohy dalšího tématu. Tím jsou vztahy bílé, často unifomované \”většiny\” k ostatním etnikům a menšinám zvláště ve Spojených státech. Závěrečná kapitola se dotýká, tentokrát výjimečně v podobě velkoformátových fotografií, tématu popkultury a jejích ikon. Ironické potréty punkového zpěváka Marilyna Mansona v masce myšáka Mickeyho nebo eventuelně v téměř kanonické póze sv. Terezie jsou výmluvným gestem a postojem hovořícím o potřebě osvobozování od nadvlády všudypřítomného konzumního kýče.
Kurátorem výstavy je ředitel Galerie Rudolfinum, Petr Nedoma, který na její koncepci úzce spolupracoval se samotným umělcem. Soubor vystavených děl je zapůjčen nejen z autorova majetku, ale také z řady veřejných a soukromých sbírek z Evropy a USA. K výstavě vydává Galerie Rudolfinum katalog s reprodukcemi všech vystavených děl a texty Petra Nedomy a Gottfrieda Helnweina, a to v české a anglické jazykové verzi. Doprovodné programy se budou úzce vztahovat nejen k dílu samotnému, ale především k tématům, kterými se zabývá, tedy k tématům reziduí nacistické ideologie v mentalitě a myšlení některých (nejen) západoevropských zemí a dále k tématu ohrožování dítěte ve vyspělých společnostech.
Biography
2008
\”Angels Sleeping\”, one-man show, Galerie Rudolfinum, Prague
\”I walk Alone\”, Natalie and James Thompson Art Gallery, San Jose State University
Stage and Costumes for \”Der Ring des Nibelungen, part II, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung\”, by Richard Wagner. Opera Bonn, director Johann Kresnik
Modernism Gallery, The ADAA art show at the Armory New York City, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America
\”Out of Shape\”, Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY
\”Ninth November Night\”, Installation, City of Philadelphia
Installation Waterford city centre, Ireland
2007
\”The Disasters of War, In memory of Francisco de Goya\”, one-man show, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger permanently displays the painting \”Death Valley\” (2002 – 2006, oil and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 774 cm) in the Governor\’s Council Room at the Capitol in Sacramento, California.
\”Rembrandt to Thiebaud: a Decade of Collecting Works on Paper\”, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, De Young
\”Artists on Art: From Any Angle, – Logan Lectures 2007 features lectures by ten contemporary artists\”.
Gottfried Helnwein at the Denver Art Museum
Photographic Bogota – International Biennial of Photography
Fotomuseo -The National Museum of Photography
\”Passion for Art – 35 Jahre Essl Museum\”, Essl Museum, Kunst der Gegenwart, Klosterneuburg, Vienna
\”Concept: Photography – Dialogue & Attitudes. From the Traditional Forms of Photography to Auteur Photography\”, Ludwig Museum Budapest, Museum of Contemporary Art
\”Once upon a Time Walt Disney: Disney recycled by Contemporary Art\”, The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
\”Body Anxious\”, Cressman Center Gallery, The University of Louisville – Department of Fine Arts
\”Angels Sleeping\”, one-man show, Waterford Greyfriars Municipial Art Gallery, Waterford Fringe Festival, Ireland
\”Die Kunst der Verführung, von Schiele bis Warhol\”, Sammlung Infeld, Minoritenkloster Tulln
The Helnwein Virtual Museum of Art opened on \”Second Life\” on May 7th 2007
\”Life as a Legend\”, The Dayton Art Institute
Gottfried Helnwein curated and organized the retrospective \”Donald Duck, …und die Ente ist Mensch geworden -Das zeichnerische und poetische Werk von Carl Barks.“ Karikaturmuseum, Krems, Austria
\”The Big Store\”, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin
\”Where is Mummy?“ Städtische Galerie Theodor von Hörmann, Imst, Tirol, Austria
\”Memory XS\”, Eine Ausstellungsinstallation über Wolfgang Bauer, MAK-Ausstellungshalle, Vienna
2006
\”Face it\”, one-man show, Lentos Kunstmuseum, Linz
\”Radar\”, The Logan Collection, Denver Art Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art
\”Los Caprichos\”, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
\”Looking Now\”, 21c Museum, Louisville, Kentucky
Stage and costumes for \”Der Ring des Nibelungen, part I, Rheingold, Walküre\” by Richard Wagner.
Opera Bonn, director Johann Kresnik
\”Il était une fois Walt Disney\”, works inspired by the characters and aesthetic of Walt Disney,
Galeries nationales du Grand Palais Paris
\”Post Modern Portraiture from the Logan Collection\”, Logan Museum Vail
One-man show, Fenton Gallery, Cork, Ireland
One-man show, Galerie Brockstedt Berlin
FotoFest 2006, Houston. The Eleventh International Biennial of Photography and Photo-Related Art, \”Helnwein – Diary of the Artist Against Violence\”, 2005
2005
\”Beautiful Children\”, one-man show, Galerie Ludwig Schloss Oberhausen and Wilhelm-Busch Museum, Hannover
\”In Limbo\”, from the collection of Kent and Vicki Logan and the Denver Art Museum. The University
of Denver’s Victoria H. Myhren Gallery
\”Arte Contemporáneo Austriaco y Pintura de la Posguerra: Colección Essl\”, Museo de Arte
Contemporáneo de Monterrey (Marco), México
\”The Other Mainstream“, selections from the Collection of Mikki and Stanley Weithorn.
The Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts at Arizona State University
\”Andy Warhol, Dale Chihuly, Vincent Van Gogh, Gottfried Helnwein and Diego Rivera\”, Arkansas
Arts Center
\”Superstars: Zum Prinzip Prominenz in der Kunst, von Warhol bis Madonna\”, Kunsthalle Wien and
Kunstforum, Vienna
\”Ninth November Night\”, Gottfried Helnwein – Documentary. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Science, Beverly Hills, California
\”Soul\”, Museum of Modern Art, Ostend. Installation: Fall of the Angels
Cooperation with Maxmilian Schell on the opera „Der Rosenkavalier“ by Richard Strauss for the opera in Los Angeles. (Set, costumes, make-up, video, lighting). Conductor Kent Nagano
Cooperation with Marylin Manson on the film-project \”Phantasmagoria – The Visions of
Lewis Carroll\”
\”A Moment in Time\”, Temple Bar Gallery, Dublin
\”Bilder, die noch fehlten\”, Künstlerforum, Bonn. Eine Ausstellung des Deutschen Hygiene-
Museums Dresden und der Deutschen Behindertenhilfe
2004
\”The Child – Works by Gottfried Helnwein\”, one-man show in Fine Arts Museum, Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco. The show was seen by 127,000 visitors and the San Francisco Chronicle quotes it as the most important exhibition of a contemporary artist in 2004.
\”Irish and other Landscapes\”, one-man show, Crawford Municipal Art Gallery in Cork, Ireland
\”Gesichter machen – das Verschwinden des Portraits\”, group exhibition, Musée de l´Elysée,
Lausanne
\”Das Paradies und die Peri\”, Multi-Media Installation for the 8th Schumann-Fest, Tonhalle Düsseldorf,
Choreography Gregor Seyffert & Compagnie Berlin, with Düsseldorfer Symphoniker and the Chor des Städtischen Musikvereins Düsseldorf, conductor John Fiore
\”Meisterwerke der Medienkunst aus der ZKMSammlung\”, group exhibition, Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie Karlsruhe, Germany
\”Donald Duck\”, group exhibition, Cobra Museum of Modern Art, Amsterdam
2003
\”Neunter November Nacht\”, documentary about Helnwein´s installation and analysis of his work with themes of violence, fascism and the Holocaust (video, 30 min.). Performers Maximilian Schell, Sean Penn and Jason Lee, director Henning Lohner, producer Gisela Guttman. Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Los Angeles
\”Modern Sleep\”, 20 x 60 feet, (6 x 18 metres), digital print on vinyl, installation in Los Angeles
Paradise Burning (American Paintings III), one-man show, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
“Comic Release, Negotiating Identity for a new Generation”, Regina Miller Gallery, Purnell Center
of the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University; The University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson; Western
Washington University; Western Gallery Arthouse at the Jones Center, Austin; Contemporary Arts
enter New Orleans
“The Golden Age of Grotesque”, cooperation with Marilyn Manson in different photographic and video projects and performances. Exhibition and performance with Marilyn Manson, Volksbühne, Berlin
“Meisterwerke der Fotografie: Face to Face”, Portraitfotografie aus der Sammlung der DGBank,
Galerie der Stadt Stuttgart
2002
Helnwein establishes a Studio in downtown Los Angeles
\”Downtown\”, one-man show, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
\”In the Blink of an Eye – Photo Art (Augenblick – Fotokunst)\”, group exhibition, Museum Kunst
der Gegenwart, Sammlung Essl, Klosterneuburg/Vienna
\”Portrait Obscured\”, group exhibition, San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art
\”Heaven on Earth\”, Rubicon Gallery, Dublin
\”Seven\”, Lead White Gallery, Dublin
2001
One-man show at the Butler House and Installation in the city of Kilkenny at the annual Arts Festival, with large digital prints of children\’s faces and monochromatic blue scenes on the facades of houses in the medieval town center
\”Malerei – Austrian Artists Now\”, Albertina, Vienna and Museum der Bildenden Künste, Budapest
Set and costumes for “Rake’s Progress” by Igor Stravinsky in Hamburg State Opera. Director Jürgen Flimm, conductor Ingo Metzmacher
“Between Earth and Heaven, New Classical Movements in the Art of Today”, Museum Moderner Kunst, Oostende, Belgium. Installation Fall of the Angels, 7×10 metres, digital print on vinyl
“Magic Vision”, group exhibition, Arkansas Arts Center
“Berliner Mauer – Kunst für ein Europa im Aufbruch”, group exhibition, Josef-Haubrich-Kunsthalle, Cologne
2000
“The Darker Side of Playland: Childhood Imagery from the Logan Collection”, group exhibition, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
One-man show, Robert Sandelson Gallery, London
Argentine writer Rodrigo M. Malmsten, inspired by Helnwein´s works, wrote the drama “Kleines Helnwein”, which engages in themes such as fascism and violence, especially directed towards children. Opening in Theatro San Martin in Buenos Aires
“Augenblicke und Endlichkeit – Das von der Photographie geprägte Jahrhundert. 40 wichtige
Photographen des zwanzigsten Jahrhundert”, group exhibition, Museum Ludwig, Cologne
“Ghost in the Shell, Photography and the Human Soul, 1850 – 2000”, group exhibition, Los Angeles County Museum of Art
“Cross Currents in Modern Art, Tribute to Peter Selz”, Achim Moeller Fine Art, New York
1999
Photo session with Chuck Close in New York
“Apokalypse”, one-man show and installation, Dominikanerkirche, Krems, Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum
“Innovation/Imagination: 50 years of Polaroid Photography”, Anselm Adams Center, San Francisco
“20 Years of Modernism, Modern Masters and Contemporary Art”, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
1998
One-man show, Wäinö Aaltonen Museum, Turku, Finland
One-man show, Modernism Gallery, San Francisco
\”Choice\”, Junge Künstler stellen das erste mal aus – ausgewählt von Ida Applebrook, Damien Hirst,
Cindy Sherman and Gottfried Helnwein, Exit Art, New York
\”Götter, Helden und Idole\”, Ludwig Galerie, Schloss Oberhausen, Germany
\”A Delicate Balance\”, group exhibition curated by Jerry Kearns, Kent Gallery, New York
1997
Helnwein relocated to Ireland with his family and he lives and works in the south of Ireland.
\”Helnwein, Retrospektive\”, State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg. For this exhibition the museum published an extensive artist’s monograph (Palace Edition, Könemann Verlag).
Scene from Heiner Müller´s drama \”Die Hamletmaschine\”, 47 Berliner Festwochen in arena Berlin and in Muffathalle in Munich, direction Gert Hof
1996
Portraits of Peter and Irene Ludwig for the Ludwig Museum in the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, exhibited for the first time
Set and costumes for “Pasolini” in the Schauspielhaus Hamburg, director Hans Kresnik
\”Photographic Works from the Collection of the Museum“, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
One-man show, Fine Arts Museum, Otaru, Japan
Group exhibition for the opening of the Ludwig Museum, Beijing
1995
\”Versuche zu trauern”, master pieces from the Ludwig Collection from antiquity to the present day, group exhibition, Ludwig Galerie Schloss Oberhausen, Germany
\”It’s Only Rock’n Roll – Rock and Roll Currents in Contemporary Art\”, group exhibition, Phoenix Museum of Art, Arizona; Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati, Ohio; Lakeview Museum of Arts and Sciences, Peoria, Illinois; Nexus Contemporary Arts Center, Atlanta, Georgia; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, Cleveland; Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami
\”Faces\”, one-man show, Houston Center for Photography
Peter and Irene Ludwig purchase “Head of a Child” for the museum in St. Petersburg and “Dresden” for the Ludwig Museum in Beijing.
1994
\”Faces\”, one-man show, Centre International d’Art Contemporain de Montréal, Quebec
“Das Jahrzehnt der Malerei”, Werke aus der Sammlung Schömer, Kunstverein, Augsburg, Germany
One-man show, Mittelrhein Museum, Haus Metternich, Koblenz, Germany
One-man show, Städtischen Museum, Schleswig, Germany
He works intensively on the development of new artistic techniques. On the computer he processes and modifies photographs and paintings, then transfers them to the canvas and develops them further by painting over them.
Installation of a picture of a monochromatic blue face of 25 x 16 metres, digital print on vinyl, on the Hilton Hotel in the city centre of Vienna
1993
“Faces”, one-man show, Rheinischen Landesmuseum, Bonn
One-man show, Joseph Albers Museum, Quadrat Bottrop, Moderne Galerie, Germany
“48 Portraits” are shown in the “Künstlerportraits” exhibition in the Ludwig Forum in Aachen, Germany
“Ansichten von Alexandra S.”, group exhibition, Deutsche Fototage, Frankfurt
1992
One-man show, Goethe Institut Centre culturell allemand, Paris
Photo session with Roy Lichtenstein in the Leo Castelli Gallery in New York
Group exhibition in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
“White Christmas” installation, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren, Germany, for the 4th International Biennale of Paper Art
First one-man show at the Modernism Gallery in San Francisco
One-man show, Pfalzgalerie Museum, Kaiserslautern and Kunstmuseum, Thun, Switzerland
“Aktion-Reaktion – Rainer, Nitsch, Brus und Helnwein in der Sammlung Schömer”, Stiftung Fiecht in Austria
“Faces”, one-man show, Stadtmuseum, Munich
1991
Meets Charles Bukowski and David Bowie in Los Angeles.
“Some Facts about Myself”. Book project with Marlene Dietrich on Berlin after the Wall comes down: Helnwein takes photographs and Marlene Dietrich writes a text. Published by Cantz, Kathleen Madden, New York
Installation “Kindskopf”, Minoritenkirche, Krems, Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum, Austria
Works on “48 Portraits”, a series of 48 monochrome red pictures of women (oil on canvas) as a counterpart to Gerhard Richter’s “48 Portraits aus dem Jahre 1971”, which depict only men in monochrome grey. The cycle of paintings was first shown in the Galerie Koppelmann in Cologne.
1990
“Fotografie”, one-man show, Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne
Helnwein’s photographic work from 1970 to 1989 is published by Dai Nipon in Japan, text by Toschiharu Ito
Set and costumes for “Die Verfolgung und Ermordung Jean Paul Marats, dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe des Hospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade” (The Persecution and Murder of Jean Paul Marat, Performed by the Drama Group of the Hospice of Charenton under the direction of Monsieur de Sade) by Peter Weiss, directed by Hans Kresnik at the Staatstheater in Stuttgart, Germany.
Work on a fragment of the Berlin Wall for the exhibition project “30 Artists in Berlin”, together with Robert Longo, Sol deWitt, Mimmo Paladino and others.
Photo session with Keith Richards at the Berlin Wall.
1989
“Zeichnungen und Arbeiten auf Papier”, one-man show, Folkwang Museum, Essen
Torino Fotografia ’89 Biennale Internazionale, exhibition with Clegg & Gutmann and David Hockney
Cooperation with the writer Heiner Müller, choreographer Hans Kresnik and dancer Ismael Ivo on a play about Antonin Artaud.
Work on the set and costumes for “Carmina Burana” by Carl Orff at the Bayerische Staatsoper (opening of the 1990 Münchner Festspiele). When Wolfgang Sawalisch, the head of the Staatsoper, sees the radical costume design, he is so shocked that he immediately cancels the contracts with Helnwein and director Hans Kresnik.
Set, costumes, and make-up for “Macbeth”, a production of Hans Kresnik’s choreographic theatre in the Stadttheater in Heidelberg. The play is later awarded the Theatre Prize of Berlin.
“Arbeiten auf Papier”, one-man show, Kunstverein Ludwigsburg
Helnwein meets William S. Burroughs and Norman Mailer in the USA.
Work on a series of drawings and pastels (“Modern Sleep”, “Gott in Panik”, “Das Wunderkind”, “Verbrannter Engel”).
1988
Installation “Selektion – Neunter November Nacht”, four-metre high, hundred-metre long picture lane in which Gottfried Helnwein recalls the “Reichskristallnacht”, the beginning of the Holocaust, on 9 November 1938. He confronts the passers-by with larger-than-life children’s faces lined up in a seemingly endless row, as if for concentration camp selection.
The poster for Peter Zadek’s production of “Lulu” by Frank Wedekind in the Schauspielhaus theatre in Hamburg unleashes a storm of outrage. The Deputy Mayor of Hamburg protests against the picture. A “German-Language Citizens Initiative for the Protection of Human Dignity” lays charges against Helnwein und Zadek for pornography. The discussion about this picture spreads beyond the borders of the country. The Mayor of the City of Vienna, Helmut Zilk, is enthusiastic about the poster and gives Helnwein his hearty congratulations.
Participation in the exhibition “Selektion 4, Polaroid-Kunst der letzten 10 Jahre!”, Victoria & Albert
Museum, London and in the Photokina, Cologne
1987
“Der Untermensch – Gottfried Helnwein, Self-Portraits 1970–1987”, one-man show, Museé d’Art Moderne, Strasbourg. The monograph “Der Untermensch”, self-portraits from 1979-1987 is published by Verlag Edition Braus. Texts by Heiner Müller and Peter Gorsen
One-man show, Leopold Hoesch Museum, Düren; Villa Stuck, München; Kunsthalle Bremen, Germany
Parallel to the large-format, multi-part pictures and the photographic work, he now also turns to crayon drawings (“Knabe und Neger”, “Triumph der Wissenschaft”, “Nachgeburt der Venus”, “Das Lügengebet”).
1986
Work on a series of large-format self-portrait metamorphoses. Beginning of a series of photographic self-dramatisations “Gott der Untermensch”, “Das stille Leuchten der Avantgarde”, “Türkenfamilie I”, “Eine Träne auf Reisen”, “Der Tod des Expertentums”, “Partisanenliebe”, “Blitzkrieg der Liebe”, “Geheime Elite”, “Gefäss der Leidenschaft”.
One-man show, Freie Volksbühne Berlin, podium discussion “Violence, Sexuality, Antiquity” with Heiner Müller, Hans Neuenfels and Ernest Bornermann
1985
“Gottfried Helnwein – Arbeiten von 1970 – 1985”, one-man show at the Albertina Museum, Vienna, catalogue with texts by Walter Koschatzky and Peter Gorsen
Rudolf Hausner proposes Helnwein as his successor as head of the masterclass for painters at the Academy of Visual Arts in Vienna, but Helnwein moves to Germany and lives and works in a castle near Cologne. He radically changes his way of working and now begins a series of large-format pictures consisting of several parts (diptychs, triptychs, poliptychs). In doing so he combines photomurals with abstract gestural and monochrome painting in oil and acrylic. Also using reproductions of Caspar David Friedrich paintings and war documentary photographs, which he assembles to form what the critic Peter Gorsen calls “Bilderstrassen” (picture lanes).
Time magazine commissions Robert Rauschenberg and Gotfried Helnwein to design covers with Deng Xiaoping portrait.
1984
“Helnwein”, the film by Peter Hajek (co-production by ORF-ZDF), opens the Austrian Week in the Berlin film festival, “Berlinale”. The film is awarded the Adolf Grimme Prize and in the same year wins the Eduars Rhein Prize and the Golden Kader of the city of Vienna for outstanding camera work.
“1984 – Orwell und die Gegenwart”, group exhibition, Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna
The office of Soviet foreign minister Gromyko tries to acquire Helnwein’s portrait of Gromyko, which appeared as a “Time” cover. But the painting is already part of a collection in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C.
Helnwein meets Walt Disney artist Carl Barks, creator of the Donald Duck legend. Helnwein maintains that he learned more about art and life from Donald Duck than from all the schools he ever attended.
1983
One-man show, Stadtmuseum, Munich
The exhibition was seen by more than a hundred thousand people.
Andy Warhol poses for Helnwein in New York for a series of photos.
In the radio programme “Teestunde” Helnwein uses obscenities to insult the inventor of the neutron bomb, Sam T. Cohen, criticises the education and training system at schools and art schools, draws attention to the high number of student suicides, and calls upon young people simply to stay away from school. The directors of Austria Radio cancel this programme.
ZDF und ORF produce the documentary about Gottfried Helnwein. Part of the film originates in Los Angeles, where Helnwein meets Muhammad Ali, who appears in this film.
“Köpfe und Gesichter”, group exhibition in der Kunsthalle Darmstadt, Germany
1982
Meets the Rolling Stones in London. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, Charlie Watts and Bill
Wyman pose for Helnwein.
Helnwein‘s portrait of John F. Kennedy makes the cover for “Time” for the 20th anniversary of the President’s death.
Die Fachhochschule für Gestaltung (The Higher College of Visual Art) in Hamburg offers Helnwein a Chair. Helnwein declines the offer.
For “Zeit” magazine, Peter Sager writes a cover story about Helnwein. The self-portrait as a screaming blinded man is used for this cover story and later for the cover of the Scorpions album “Blackout”.
Bavarian TV produces a film portrait of Helnwein, directed by Hans-Dieter Hartl.
1981
One-man show, Baumgartner Galleries, Washington
Begins a series of works about trivial heroes and myths with a painting of the Austrian soccer star Hans Krankl, “The Bomber of the Nation”. There followed the pictures of “Peter der Grosse” (Peter Alexander – the Austrian singer) and “Niki Lauda” (the Austrian Formula-1 champion); the NDR-Film “Helnwein malt Lauda” directed by Viktoria vom Fleming. The art establishment and the critics are shocked by these works and reject them. The Austrian playwright Wolfgang Bauer, on the other hand, is enthusiastic about these works and calls them “paintings for eternity”. The critic of the “Neue Zeit” reports: “Let us hope that eternity will resist such impertinence”. Inspired by Helnwein’s James Dean apotheosis, Wolfgang Bauer writes the ballad “Song for Helnwein – Boulevard of Broken Dreams”.
First encounter and start of the friendship with H. C. Artmann, the Austrian poet.
First monography, texts by H.C. Artmann, Botho Strauß, Wolfgang Bauer and Barbara Frischmuth
1980
One-man show with pen-and-ink drawings in the Albertina Museum, Vienna
Performance in the International Year of the Child
R. Höpfinger and E. Regnier hand out sweets and toys bearing texts and Helnwein pictures of wounded and tortured children to passers-by in Zurich.
With an open letter and the picture of a dead child lying with his head in a plate of poisoned food (Lebensunwertes Leben) he protests against Austria’s number one forensic psychiatrist, the former euthanasia doctor, Dr. Gross, who admitted in an interview that in the Nazi era he had poisoned hundreds of children and called this method of killing humane.
Helnwein became intensively involved with the phenomenon of the split between High Art and Trivial Art. He saw this as an apartheid situation in 20th century culture.
1979
One-man show, Galleria de Naviglio, Milano
1977
One-man show, Galerie Spectrum, Vienna
Performance \”Alt Wien\”, Vienna
Seven month stay abroad, studying in the USA. Intensive involvement with the work of Kandinsky and Walt Disney
1976
Performance “Allzeit bereit” at the Naschmarkt, Vienna
1975
Works on a series of pen-and-ink drawings on the subject of corrective devices “Metalllippe zum Lächeln”, “Korrekturspange”, “Das Wannenwunder von Watras”, “Assistent Assmann”, “Hilfe für Mann ohne Kinn” etc.
1974
Theodor-Körner-Prize
Performance “Weisse Kinder” with15 bandaged children in Kärntner Strasse, in the centre of Vienna
ZDF-Film \”Helnweins Sehtest\”, directed by Heinz Dickmann
One-man show, Galerie Jasa Fine Art, Munich
1973
First edition of etching “Meine Buben haben einen Türken in die Schlucht gestossen”
More pen-and-ink drawings and performances with children
ORF-Film “Engagierte Kunst?”, directed by E. Kroiss
One-man show and performance \”Sandra\” in the Galerie über der Stubenbastei, Vienna
First cover for the political and cultural magazine “Profil” (Selbstmord in Österreich) showing a little girl slashing her wrists. Strong public reactions; many readers cancel their subscriptions.
1972
An exhibition of Helnwein paintings in the Galerie des Pressehauses in Vienna is closed after three days because of strong protest and strike threats by the works council.
Work on a series of pen-and-ink, crayon and pencil drawings: “Freud und Leid”, “Da kräht er vor Vergnügen, der kleine Mann”, “Das Patengeschenk”.
Scratches and scrapes a series of self-portraits and child-photos with luminous stigma.
Performance \”Sorgenkind\” in the streets of Vienna
1971
Kardinal König Prize
First public performances in Vienna in the streets, in coffee houses, etc
In an exhibition in the Vienna Künstlerhaus, unidentified people put “Entartete Kunst” (Degenerated Art) stickers on Helnwein’s pictures.
At the opening of an exhibition in Galerie D in Mödling, near Vienna, the mayor has pictures by Helnwein confiscated by the police.
1970
Academy Prize
First photographic self-portraits with bandages and surgical instruments
Photo happenings with children
In his attempt to paint a truly bad picture he creates the water-colour “Spezial”.
First one-man exhibition, Nachtgalerie im Atrium, Vienna
Performance “Die Akademie brennt” (Academy Burning); with two fellow students Helnwein stages a rebellion at the Academy of Visual Arts. The reason is the refusal of the professors to allow the student representatives a say in the entrance examination. Professors are locked in and the serious damage is done to property. Helnwein and his colleagues are picked up by the police and charged. The Minister of Science and Art declares their actions to be political. Investigation and criminal proceedings are dropped.
1969-1973
Studies painting at the Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Vienna
Work on a series of hyper-realistic paintings of wounded and tortured children.
Intensive research into the various forms of trivial aesthethics such as comics, advertising, and film; puts this experience into his work. Water colour: “Unkeusches Kind”, “Peinlich”, “Gemeines Kind”; first oil paintings: “Mutter, Du hier?”, “Führer, wir danken Dir!”.
1966
First performances for a small audience; the artist cuts his face and hands several times with razor blades, wood-engraving tools, and the edges of skis, first bandaging happenings.
1965-1969
Studies at the Höhere Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt (Experimental Institute for Higher Graphic Education) in Vienna
Walks with his friend Manfred Deix from Venice to Vienna for several days without eating or sleeping.
1948 Born in Vienna
For more informations:
www.helnwein.com
Gottfried Hellnwein
Výstava Angels Sleeping sleduje základní témata díla rakouského umělce Gottfrieda Helnweina (nar. 1948 ve Vídni). Autor se stal záhy pojmem v oblasti hyperrealistické malby, v zobrazení osamělého a zraňovaného člověka. Četné citáty z popkultury, fotograficky přesné detaily často monochromní, povrchově hladké, precizní malby navozují pocit podivné směsi důvěrně známého a jasně čitelného v kontrastu k tušené hrozbě, k nejasnému pocitu vyšinutí řádu, jež ohrožuje. Metafoře Helnweinova umění, i když často obsahuje rysy autoportrétu, dominuje obraz dítěte, které se obvykle nachází v mezním postavení, v krajně vypjaté situaci.
Celá výstava je rozčleněna do pěti oddílů, které – nikoliv chronologicky – představí podstatné momenty a témata Helnweinova díla s důrazem na převážně malířskou tvorbu posledních let. Úvodní skupinu tvoří autoportréty, včetně ikonického autoportrétu umělcovy tváře znetvořené obvazy a kovovými předměty, který je metaforou nemožnosti svobodného vyjádření v Rakousku 70. a 80. let. Nelítostný umělcův postoj k reliktům a reziduím nacistické minulosti jeho vlasti je rovněž námětem druhé skupiny děl. Těžištěm Helnweinovy tvorby je ovšem téma dítěte, jímž se systematicky zabývá v nejrůznějších polohách a uměleckých technikách od ranných kreseb až po současnost. Souboru obrazů s tímto námětem bude věnován největší prostor. Násilí na dětech v kontrastu s jejich pasivní vystaveností, bolestným údivem a nemožností se bránit světu dospělých, je v dalším oddíle, nazvaném poněkud ironicky Art in Amerika, posunuto do polohy dalšího tématu. Tím jsou vztahy bílé, často unifomované \”většiny\” k ostatním etnikům a menšinám zvláště ve Spojených státech. Závěrečná kapitola se dotýká, tentokrát výjimečně v podobě velkoformátových fotografií, tématu popkultury a jejích ikon. Ironické potréty punkového zpěváka Marilyna Mansona v masce myšáka Mickeyho nebo eventuelně v téměř kanonické póze sv. Terezie jsou výmluvným gestem a postojem hovořícím o potřebě osvobozování od nadvlády všudypřítomného konzumního kýče.
Kurátorem výstavy je ředitel Galerie Rudolfinum, Petr Nedoma, který na její koncepci úzce spolupracoval se samotným umělcem. Soubor vystavených děl je zapůjčen nejen z autorova majetku, ale také z řady veřejných a soukromých sbírek z Evropy a USA. K výstavě vydává Galerie Rudolfinum katalog s reprodukcemi všech vystavených děl a texty Petra Nedomy a Gottfrieda Helnweina, a to v české a anglické jazykové verzi. Doprovodné programy se budou úzce vztahovat nejen k dílu samotnému, ale především k tématům, kterými se zabývá, tedy k tématům reziduí nacistické ideologie v mentalitě a myšlení některých (nejen) západoevropských zemí a dále k tématu ohrožování dítěte ve vyspělých společnostech.
AKTIONEN (Performances):
1966-67 Several Aktions with bandages for a small audience, Wien
Aktion \”Horch\”, Galerie D, Mödling bei Wien, 1971
Aktion \”Sorgenkind\”, Wien, 1972
Aktion \”Ewige jugend (Eternal Youth)\”, Wien, 1972
Aktion \”Hallo Dulder (Hello Sufferer)\”, Wien , 1973
Aktion \”St. Stephan\” with Robert Schöller, Stephansplatz, Wien, 1973
Aktion \”Sandra\”, Galerie Stubenbastei, Wien, 1973
Aktion \”Pinocchio\”, Wien 1973
Aktion \”Weisse Kinder\”, Kärntnerstrasse, Wien, 1974
Aktion \”Strafe muss sein\”, Galerie Brandstätter, Wien, 1975
Aktion \”Alt Wien\”, Cafe Alt Wien, Wien, 1976
Aktion \”Allzeit bereit\”, Naschmarkt Wien, 1976
Aktion \”Mine-Disaster\” (Grubenunglück), Wien, 1977
Aktion \”1000 Jahre\” (mit DeEs Schwertberger, Jochen Wahl, Robert Schöller), Klagenfurt, 1977
Aktion \”Kind und Kegel\”, Frankfurt, 1982
Aktion \”Jugend kennt keine Tugend\”, Hamburg 1984
Aktion \”Der Untermensch\” , Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen, 1987
Aktion \”Gott der Untermenschen\” Performance at camp Kopal of the Austrian army, Sprazern, February, 1987. Helnwein uses tanks and real ammunition .
Aktion \”The Golden Age of Grotesque\”, mit Marilyn Manson, Volksbühne Berlin, 2003
