ESSL MUSEUM > Exhibitions

CURRENT
	>ANSELM KIEFER< Works from the Essl Collection 03 Feb. - 29 May 2012 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.
	>SILENCE< A venue for tranquil encounters with art 20/03 – 20/05/2012 On the average, exhibition visitors will only spend a few seconds looking at a work of art before hurrying on to the next exhibit. The Essl Museum responds to this tendency with a radical exhibition concept. Only two works of art will be presented at the main hall (600 sqm of exhibition space). No more than two visitors per hour will be admitted for an opportunity to engage completely with the artwork. We have chosen this concept to promote a contemplative approach to art, since time has become a most precious asset these days.
	FRANZ ZADRAZIL Vienna Paris New York 30 May - 28 Oct. 2012 The Austrian artist Franz Zadrazil is known for his photorealistic paintings of building facades, shop entrances and commuter train stations. He found his inspirations mainly in his native city Vienna, but also in New York or Paris. The first major retrospective of the artist, who died in 2005, will be created in co-operation with his widow Andrea Kasamas. The show will include works never shown in public before from the last years of Zadrazil’s life.
	CECILY BROWN 20 June - 07 Oct. 2012 The work of British artist Cecily Brown, born in 1969, lies on the borderline between figurative and abstract painting. Cecily Brown’s work will be on show at the Essl Museum’s main hall. Conceived in close co-operation with the artist, the exhibition will combine brand-new paintings fresh from the studio and works owned by the Essl Collection.
	>PAINTING FOREVER!< Young artists from the Essl Collection 20/04/2011 – 02/09/2012, SCHÖMER-HAUS At the Schömer-Haus, the art collector Agnes Essl presents her personal selection from the Essl Collection.

EXHIBITION PROGRAM 2012
	>ANSELM KIEFER< 03 Feb. - 29 May 2012 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.
	>SPOTLIGHTS. VIDEOART< 09 March - 13 May 2012 The Essl Collection owns an impressive amount of video and installation art. This exhibition provides an opportunity to (re)discover significant works, particularly the painstakingly restored Les Armes d’acier (1986/87) by Marie-Jo Lafontaine and Duet Memory (1995) by Nam June Paik.
	>RUDOLF SCHÖNWALD< 09 March - 13 May 2012 Huge, mostly abandoned, industrial sites provided the inspiration for a series of drawings which the Austrian artist Rudolf Schönwald created over a period of thirty years. The exhibition presents a selection from this extraordinary oeuvre with the focus lying on drawings that have never been presented in public before.
	>SILENCE< A venue for tranquil encounters with art 20/03 – 20/05/2012 On the average, exhibition visitors will only spend a few seconds looking at a work of art before hurrying on to the next exhibit. The Essl Museum responds to this tendency with a radical exhibition concept. Only two works of art will be presented at the main hall (600 sqm of exhibition space). No more than two visitors per hour will be admitted for an opportunity to engage completely with the artwork. We have chosen this concept to promote a contemplative approach to art, since time has become a most precious asset these days.
	FRANZ ZADRAZIL Vienna Paris New York 30 May - 28 Oct. 2012 The Austrian artist Franz Zadrazil is known for his photorealistic paintings of building facades, shop entrances and commuter train stations. He found his inspirations mainly in his native city Vienna, but also in New York or Paris. The first major retrospective of the artist, who died in 2005, will be created in co-operation with his widow Andrea Kasamas. The show will include works never shown in public before from the last years of Zadrazil’s life.
	CECILY BROWN 20 June - 07 Oct. 2012 The work of British artist Cecily Brown, born in 1969, lies on the borderline between figurative and abstract painting. Cecily Brown’s work will be on show at the Essl Museum’s main hall. Conceived in close co-operation with the artist, the exhibition will combine brand-new paintings fresh from the studio and works owned by the Essl Collection.
	THE COLLECTION Brandl, Francis, Lassnig, Meese, Mikl, Morris, Nitsch, Rainer 20 June – 02 Sep. 2012 This exhibition provides new insights into the way the Essl Collection has developed in recent years. Significant works by international artists illustrate the focal points and interests of the art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl.
	ALEX KATZ 15 Sept. 2012 – 6 Jan. 2013 In 2012, the American painter and graphic artist Alex Katz will celebrate his 85th birthday. He is a long-time friend of the art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl and their collection boasts numerous works from all periods of the artist. The exhibition features works from the collection with loans selected personally by Alex Katz.
	XENIA HAUSNER >ÜberLeben< 24 Oct. 2012 – 20 January 2013 One of Austrian most important woman painters, Xenia Hausner initially worked as a theatre designer, but increasingly turned to painting in the 1990s. Conceived in close co-operation with the artist, the show will present large-format figurative work at the Essl Museum’s main hall.
	NEW. NEW YORK 23 Nov. 2012 – 31 March 2013 Continuing its >emerging artists< series, the Essl Museum presents young artists who are not yet established in the art market. This time they hail mainly from New York City, with the main focus on Brooklyn. New-York based artist-curator John Silvis, a profound expert of the young art scene, accepted the invitation to curate this exhibition.