KÜNSTLER BEI DER ARBEIT

From November 29, 2024, to January 18, 2025, we present the exhibition Artists at Work, inspired by Elfriede Mejchar’s series title. The exhibition features photographs by Elfriede Mejchar and Peter Baum, complemented by works from Arnulf Rainer spanning the 1950s to the early 1980s.

Elfriede Mejchar (1924–2021) documented the creative environments of numerous Viennese artists in the 1950s through her portrait cycle Artists at Work. Her sensitive photographs capture Arnulf Rainer in his studio on Weihburggasse, highlighting the intimate connection between the artist and his work.

Peter Baum (*1939), an art critic, photographer, and longtime museum director, chronicled the social and artistic shifts of the 1960s and 1970s in Austria. His photographs of Arnulf Rainer, including iconic images of his self-paintings, depict a period of artistic transformation characterized by radical innovation and international exchange.

Arnulf Rainer, born in 1929 in Baden near Vienna, is a pivotal figure in Austria's postwar art scene. His works showcase a progression from surrealism to his expressive and abstract language, often exploring extreme emotional and physical states. A defining feature of his art is the interplay of visible and hidden layers.

The exhibition provides insight into Arnulf Rainer's creative journey through documentary photographs by Elfriede Mejchar and Peter Baum, emphasizing the studio as a space of artistic creation.

Opening Reception: Friday, November 29, 2024, 4:00–6:00 p.m.
Venue: Galerie Ruberl, Vienna

 

Credits:

1: ©Elfriede Mejchar, Arnulf Rainer in His Studio, silver gelatin print, 31.5 x 28 cm, inscribed and dated on verso, 1954–1961.

2: ©Elfriede Mejchar, Arnulf Rainer in His Studio, silver gelatin print, 31.5 x 28 cm, inscribed and dated on verso, 1954–1961.

3: ©Peter Baum, Portrait Arnulf Rainer Studio 2, vintage print, December 17, 1985, Atelier OÖ, no. 6, 30.5 x 20.5 cm, signed and stamped on verso.