Art as bridge to nature
Friedensreich Hundertwasser – The Archive
Friedensreich Hundertwasser, born Friedrich Stowasser on December 15, 1928 in Vienna, died on February 19, 2000 on board the Queen Elizabeth 2 off Brisbane, was a painter, architect, ecological activist and philosopher. Hundertwasser is one of the most internationally renowned artists of the 20th century. His worldwide reputation is due to his paintings and original graphic prints, his examples of a more human architecture in harmony with nature and his ecological commitment.
Hundertwasser's cosmos
Friedensreich Hundertwasser left behind a painterly oeuvre of unique colouristic sensitivity and passionate inventiveness. His work went far beyond painting; art and aesthetics, art and life, morality and life formed an inseparable unity.
Hundertwasser was the most impressive challenger of standardised grid thinking, the tyranny of rationalism and the worship of functionalism. He put his finger in the wound wherever it was a question of inhumane housing, the destruction and exploitation of nature, creative illiteracy or the loss of tradition.
The organic line
As a romantic utopian, unconventional outsider, ecological activist and creator of ‘green’ architecture, he combined numerous facets in his work. His popularity was fuelled by his tireless commitment to a more human architecture in harmony with nature - a style of building that combined romanticism, diversity and environmental awareness. He was an admonisher against environmental pollution and the destruction of nature, against urban sprawl and the destruction of cultural heritage.
His speeches, manifestos and actions reflect the desire to give nature its due and to show man a free, creative, truly humane existence once again.
Thus, Hundertwasser turned against the geometrically straight line and the grid system of functional architecture and realised architectural projects that testify to his commitment to diversity instead of monotony, to romanticism, to the organic and to unregulated irregularities. He campaigned for the preservation of our natural habitats and called for a ‘peace treaty with nature’.
Hundertwasser was an important forerunner of the environmental movement and a pioneer of an ‘ecological age’.
Hundertwasser online
The online collection of the Hundertwasser Non-Profit Foundation presents the work and influence of the artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser in an encyclopaedic manner.
The complete catalogue raisonné contains illustrations and dates of his paintings, original graphic works, applied art, architectural projects and his commitment to environmental protection. Documents on the artist's biography with a comprehensive collection of documentary photos are also accessible, as is his entire body of writings. Evidence of his worldwide exhibition activities and excerpts from publications about the artist complete the online catalogue.