The Kunstforum Wien has a spring surprise for us: a retrospective dedicated to one of the adopted sons of the city: the great Daniel Spoerri lives and works in Vienna.
- A comprehensive exhibition covering the various media used by this Romanian-born Swiss artist
- Includes Spoerri’s famous snare pictures
- Runs: Mar 24, 2021 – Jun 27, 2021
- See also:
A retrospective
(Daniel Spoerri; Tableau piège – Sevilla Serie Nr. 16, 1991; Assemblage from porcelain, wood, steel, paper, organic remains and glass, 80×160×40cm; Museum of Contemporary Art in Krakow MOCAK; © Daniel Spoerri and Bildrecht Wien, 2021; Photo: MOCAK Collection, photo: R. Sosin)
It’s not every day in Vienna that we get to celebrate a city resident and international star of the visual arts.
Daniel Spoerri’s works grace the inventories of numerous prestigious collections, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. France even made him a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2013 (other recipients include the likes of T.S Eliot, Bob Dylan, and Václav Havel).
The Romanian-born Swiss artist has called various places home in his illustrious career, but moved to Vienna in 2007 (an event turned into a 30-minute TV documentary).
Since then, Spoerri has left an indelible impression on the Austrian art scene through, for example, his exhibition centre in Lower Austria and exhibitions and installations in varied locations that include the Natural History Museum, the Museumsquartier, and Vienna’s “Zum Schwarzen Kameel” restaurant.
We can now add the Bank Austria Kunstforum Wien to that local list, with this large retrospective of his works.
Spoerri (b. 1930) earned himself a permanent place in art history thanks to his snare pictures or Tableau pièges, which he first created in the 1960s (some of these early ones feature in the exhibition) and which have remained a constant in his oeuvre to this day (one example on display is from a 2016 Viennese flea market).
Spoerri himself defines his snare pictures as:
…objects, which are found in randomly orderly or disorderly situations, are mounted on whatever they are found on (table, box, drawer, etc.) in the exact constellation they are found in…by declaring the result to be a tableau, the horizontal becomes vertical.
DanielSpoerri.org
These remarkable assemblages receive their deserved due at the Kunstforum, but the exhibition also includes the various other media Spoerri has worked in, such as his bronze sculptures, textile-based creations, and more.
Dates and tickets
Enjoy the Spoerri retrospective from March 24th, 2021 to June 27th, 2021. The main exhibition always represents the heart of what the Kunstforum has to offer, so a ticket for the latter is essentially a ticket for the exhibition. Alternatively, use a relevant sightseeing pass.
How to get to the exhibition
Check the main article on the Kunstforum Wien for directions and travel tips.
While there, pop into the Tresor space in the same building to catch the small concurrent exhibitions:
- Borjana Ventzislavova (March 24th to May 2nd, 2021)
- Mirjam Baker (May 12th to June 27th, 2021)
And afterwards, take a look around the square outside. Not much in the way of contemporary art to see, but a whole lot of history that include a palais or three and a church that dates back to before 1200.
Address: Freyung 8, 1010 Vienna