Imago Mundi: Vienna for art's sake

The 161 works tell us, each in its own way, that beyond today’s obsession with economics a cultural geography endures that can enhance our happiness; this vivacity of ideas makes our lives, individual and collective, richer, more fertile and worthy of living. Moreover, thirteen impressive artistic interventions will respond to its Baroque rooms. The interventions have been specially planned and developed for this location; they are meant to demonstrate the significance of contemporary artistic production from a new perspective and visualise the unbroken force of thinkers and visionaries.

International archistars, celebrated designers, world-famous artists, but also emerging young talents, who all live and work in Vienna or who have left their mark on this city, at the heart of Europe today as it was in centuries past. They are the protagonists of this Imago Mundi collection that pays tribute to the cultural centrality of Vienna, exhibition space par excellence, in the name of a creative simultaneity of art, architecture and design. The 161 works collected here tell us, each in its own way, that beyond today’s economistic obsession, a cultural geography endures that can enhance our happiness; this vivacity of ideas makes our lives, individual and collective, richer, more fertile and worthy of livi

Different from other archives of Imago Mundi, Peter Noever has expanded the Archive Austria by artists, architects, and designers who live and/or work in Vienna or have left behind a remarkable contribution, regardless of their geographic origins and nationality. The 161 works demonstrate multiple microcosms in their own right. Three artists who had agreed to supply works died during the preparations of Vienna for Art's Sake!: Johann Georg Gsteu was able to complete his work. Alfons Schilling and Otto Muehl passed away before they could hand in their works. They will be honoured with a white canvas in the catalogue.

Designer (principal no/ever design vienna) and internationally successful exhibition creator Peter Noever was artistic director and CEO at the MAK—Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst/Gegenwartskunst in Vienna. In the years from 1988 to 1993 he was responsible for the general rennovation of the museum, inviting prominent international artists like Donald Judd, Günther Förg and Jenny Holzer. In 1994 he founded the MAK Center for Art and Architecture in Los Angeles, including 3 future-oriented houses by the Austrian–American architect Rudolph M. Schindler and initiated the MAK-Schindler-Scholarship at the Mackey Apartments. There have been approximately 520 exhibitions with international success.

www.noever-design.com

Joep van Lieshout, Manfred Wakolbinger, Hans Kupelwieser, Agnes Husslein-Arco, Luciano Benetton, Koen Vanmechelen, Iv Toshain, Michael Kienzer, Eva Schlegel, Peter Noever, Ernst J. Fuchs, Magdalena Jetelova at the Imago Mundi exhibition "Vienna for art's sake” at the Winter Palace, Wien, Austria