„I had three objectives. First, to select paintings that I think are absolutely great. That is true of each of the works on show. Second, to design rooms that one enjoys viewing. And third, perhaps to get something more out of the paintings, although I couldn’t define right now what exactly that would be.“

(Albert Oehlen, 9 Sep 2010)

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.

The German painter Albert Oehlen donned a curator’s hat and selected and juxtaposed works by Martha Jungwirth, Sigmar Polke, Franz Ringel, Christian Ludwig Attersee, Otto Zitko, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, as well as Anish Kapoor, Julian Schnabel and many others in the gallery rooms of the Essl Museum. The focus is clearly on Austrian artists, who also constitute the mainstay of the Essl Collection. The selection, however, is markedly different from past collection shows at the Essl Museum and demonstrates that an artist’s perspective may reveal unusual aspects and open the way for new discoveries.

Albert Oehlen and Karlheinz Essl © Essl Museum 2010 Photo: Frank Garzarolli

“The artist’s view does not have to make sense. At least not the sort of sense that can be easily expressed in words. There is no underlying conception or thematic arrangement. But to me, the selection is utterly plausible.” (Albert Oehlen)

In the 1980s, Albert Oehlen was part of the group of Neue Wilde, together with Martin Kippenberger, Werner Büttner and his brother Markus Oehlen Teil der sogenannten Neuen Wilden. These “new savages” took an ironic stance and challenged the entire medium of painting. Ever since, he has been considered one of the leading German contemporary painters.

The Essl Collection holds 42 works by Oehlen, ranging form the early 1980s to recent output. For this exhibition, however, Oehlen has not chosen any of his own work.

Catalogue

A catalogue will be published for the exhibition, including a foreword by Prof. Karlheinz Essl, a talk between Albert Oehlen and the collector Karlheinz Essl and a detailed documentation of the exhibition. The catalogue will be published only after the opening in November 2010.

Art Education

The art education team offers guided tours and workshops during the exhibition, for example a tour >Beautiful Klosterneuburg< every Sunday at 3 p.m. Please access the current calendar of events at ART EDUCATION >>

Free bus shuttle

Visitors can reach the Essl Museum conveniently by free bus shuttle from Vienna city centre, Albertinaplatz 2 (Tues – Sun, 10 a.m., 12 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and return)

Press photos

Press photos are available upon request at the Press Office or via download from PRESS >>

Public relations office

Erwin Uhrmann (head), uhrmann@essl.museum, +43 (0) 2243/370 50 60
Regina Holler-Strobl, holler-strobl@essl.museum, +43 (0) 2243/370 50 62