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. The Essl Museum’s team of art educators work with children to develop a fun way of presenting contemporary art that speaks to all senses.

Visitors of all ages will find numerous opportunities to enjoy the show in an active manner. This animal festival will be an art festival for everyone, but first and foremost for children!

DEBORAH SENGL Die Löwin - als Raubtier - ertarnt sich die begehrte Beute, 2004 Preparation 132 x 210 x 55 cm Photo: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung	MARIA LASSNIG Nachts wenn die Mäuse schreien, 1981 Oil on canvas 139 x 196 cm Photo: Mischa Nawrata, Wien © Sammlung Essl Privatstiftung

The show includes a variety of themes: spooky animals which need to be explored with an electric torch; an area of fenced-in grassland where the eyes can feed on works of art showing cows, horses and donkeys, or the relationship between human beings and animals and the significance of animal images in the art of Aboriginal artists.

An essential aspect of this exhibition is the involvement of visitor groups, mainly children, in all stages of planning. The selection of “co-designers” was entrusted to the Essl Museum’s art education team: four different groups, including two school groups, a women’s group from a Caritas shelter and the Facebook fans of the Essl Museum, were invited to contribute to the design of two exhibition rooms. In addition, school children and the children of staff and friends of the bauMax company and the Essl Museum wrote texts about works of art, contributed to the catalogue and visited artists in their studios to work with them or ask them what animals meant to them.

Photo: Tom Lamm	Photo: Tom Lamm

Artists represented include Siegfried Anzinger, Georg Baselitz, Herbert Boeckl, Martin Eder, Sonja Feldmeier, Willie Gudapi, Christian Hahn, Franz Kamlander, Bharti Kher, Ronald Kodritsch, Paul McCarthy, Alois Mosbacher, Nie Mu, Oswald Oberhuber, Katrin Plavcak, Daniel Richter, Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen, Martin Praska and Deborah Sengl

Catalogue

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue featuring a preface by Karlheinz Essl, essays by the art education team and text contributions by the children and adult groups involved in designing the exhibition.

Art Education

The art education team offers guided tours and workshops during the exhibition, a guided tour >Festival of Animals< every Sunday at 11.00 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)

Admission

Free entry for children and people under 19 years of age, students, persons doing basic military service/persons doing alternative service and unemployed; adults € 5,- and reduced admission € 3,- (Senior citizens and groups of at least 15 people); familiy ticket € 9,-

Press photos

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

Press and 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