Curator: Jean Frémon
Exhibition management: Sini Zein

Exhibition period: 24 Jun – 1 Nov 2005

Arnulf Rainer and Antoni Tàpies are two of the most significant European contemporary artists. The Essl Collection holds seminal works and series of works by both artists. For years, exhibition curator and writer Jean Frémon has been exploring the work of the two artists through exhibitions and publications. In the upcoming 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.

Arnulf Rainer’s (* 1929) work involves frequently changing work phases. Initially coming from Surrealism he learned about Informel painting in Paris in 1951. His quest for possible routes to continue painting beyond "the end of painting" led him to the overpaintings, where annihilation and new beginning fuse into one. Personal experiences with borderline states, such as working to the point of complete physical exhaustion, and the exploration of his own fears and the mental state of psychiatric patients represent points of departure for his work. For his overpaintings Rainer uses photographs, prints and also original works of art by others.

ARNULF RAINER: Gesicht (1973) oil and black pencil on photo / plywood panel 60 x 51 cm photo: Stefan Fiedler – Salon Iris, Wien © Arnulf Rainer		ARNULF RAINER: Hemdkreuz 3 (1998) oil on wood, 183 x 160 cm photo: Stefan Fiedler – Salon Iris, Wien © Arnulf Rainer

ANTONI TAPIES: Materia i collage de paper 2-teilig (1991 mixed media on canvas 200 x 200 cm photo: Photoatelier Laut, Wien © VBK Wien, 2005		ANTONI TAPIES: Dietari Num. III - aus 5-teiliger Serie (1998) mixed media, collage and assemblage on wood 270 x 220 x 35 cm photo: courtesy Galerie Lelong, Zürich © VBK Wien, 2005

The two artists are linked by friendship and, despite the differences in their work, also by a common interest in the spiritual sphere. They do not explore it strictly within the limits of denominational religion but are both fascinated by aspects of everyday life and the spiritual quality inherent in painting.

The cross is a symbol frequently found in the work of both artists. Tapiès interprets it as an expression of the balance between vertical and horizontal, mind and matter, birth and rebirth and a mathematical symbol. Last but not least it also means a reference to the first letter of his name which is derived from the Catalan tàpia (wall). While Tàpies is looking for balance, Rainer considers the cruciform shape as a suspension of the inner dynamism of a painting. The dominance of the rectangular canvas is suspended by the juxtaposition of the vertical and horizontal axes, the centre is stilled.

The spiritual sphere, an intense study of the fundamental questions of human life, and the spiritual aspects of arts also represent areas of particular interest for the art collectors Agnes and Karlheinz Essl. This may be one of the reasons why they have acquired such a comprehensive collection of works by these two artists.

Catalogue

TAPIES / RAINER - Porteurs de Secret German and english. 170 pages with numerous color images and biographies of the artists. With articles by Jean Frémon, Barbara Catoir, Arnulf Rainer, Antoni Tàpies and an introduction by the art collector Karlheinz Essl. Edition Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung: Klosterneuburg 2005 € 27.00 ISBN 3-902001-22-4

Sound/Video/Installation

Through the Curly Rain-Taps Generative sound and video installation by Ramón González-Arroyo (Sound) and Karlheinz Essl (Visuals) 24 Jun – 23 Oct 2005, Sammlung Essl - BlackBox

Press release

TAPIES / RAINER - Porteurs de Secret press information in PDF format