The Arnulf Rainer Museum in Baden opened a significant new exhibition titled "Arnulf Rainer – Art Brut" on Saturday, showcasing the raw and impulsive artistic expression of a master who continuously sought innovative methods of creative development. The exhibition places particular emphasis on Rainer's connection to Art Brut, a movement celebrating unrefined, authentic artistic expression.
The exhibition features an impressive array of Rainer's unconventional works, including paintings created with hands, fingers, and feet, alongside collaborative drawings he produced with Fritz Koller and Johann Hauser. Visitors can also view an extensive portion of the renowned Navratil Collection, which documents the intersection between traditional art and outsider creativity.
Rainer's fascination with Art Brut began in the post-war period through his exposure to Surrealism, but his serious engagement with the movement intensified during the 1960s. He made regular visits to psychiatric hospitals and was deeply impressed by what he described as the authenticity, immediacy, and inventiveness of the patients' artwork. This stood in stark contrast to the educated art scene, which he often perceived as over-intellectualized and lacking in genuine emotional expression.
During the 1970s, Rainer created his Art Brut homages, a series where he painted over works by artists including Johann Hauser, Jean Dubuffet, Antonin Artaud, and Friedrich Schröder-Sonnenstern. Rather than attempting to alter or improve these pieces, Rainer sought to enter into an artistic dialogue with the original creators, creating a unique conversation between different forms of artistic expression.
Rainer's collaborative approach reached new heights through concrete partnerships in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1984, he worked directly with Fritz Koller and Johann Hauser to create three collaborative drawings. Ten years later, he expanded this concept by working with artists from Gugging to produce 58 mutual overpaintings, where each artist would paint over the other's work in an ongoing creative exchange.
The commercial recognition of this movement began in 1970 when the first sales exhibition took place at the Galerie nächst St. Stephan in Vienna. This marked a turning point in how Art Brut was perceived and valued within the broader art market.
The current exhibition draws heavily from the world's largest collection of Arnulf Rainer's works, originally assembled by art collector Helmut Zambo. This extraordinary collection was acquired by the Lower Austrian State Collections in the previous year, ensuring its preservation and public access. Additionally, the museum is presenting an extensive selection from the Leo Navratil Collection for the first time, featuring numerous works by artists from Gugging alongside private loans.
"Arnulf Rainer – Art Brut" represents part of an ambitious exhibition cycle that began in 2024 with the anniversary show "Arnulf Rainer: Nothing Against Everything," celebrating the artist's 95th birthday. The series will conclude in October 2026 with a comparative exhibition examining the relationship between Arnulf Rainer and Hermann Nitsch, promising to offer new insights into Austrian avant-garde art movements.
