|
Biography
Arnulf Rainer
Born 1929 in Baden (near Vienna), living in Vienna and Enzenkirchen, Upper Austria
|
| In 1948 |
Rainer learned about surrealist theories and met Maria Lassnig. |
| |
| In 1949 |
he very briefly attended the University of Applied Arts and the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. |
| |
| In 1950 |
he met Ernst Fuchs, Anton Lehmden, Arik Brauer, Wolfgang Hollegha and Josef Mikl, who founded the "Hundsgruppe" ("Dog's Group"). |
| |
| In 1951 |
first exhibition of the "Hundsgruppe" in Vienna. Thereafter Rainer turned away from the "Fantastic Surrealism". He travelled to Paris, where he met André Breton. |
| |
| In 1953 |
he became acquainted with Monsignor Otto Mauer, who promoted the Austrian Avantgarde in his Galerie nächst St. Stephan (Gallery next to St. Stephen's) from 1954 onwards. |
|
| Since 1953 |
Arnulf Rainer has been creating his well-known overpaintings of his own works or those by others. |
|
| In 1956 |
solo exhibition at the Galerie nächst St. Stephan, |
| 1957 |
in the Vienna Secession. |
| In 1959 |
together with Fuchs and Hundertwasser, he founded the "Pintorarium" as an "anti-academy" (a "crematorium to incinerate the academy").
He participated at the documenta II in Kassel. |
|
| In 1961 |
he overpainted the work of a young female artist, which had been awarded a jury prize; he was arrested by the police. |
| |
| 1963 |
studio in West Berlin. |
| 1964 |
drawing experiment under the influence of hallucinogenous drugs at the university hospital of Lausanne. |
| |
| 1965 |
figurative - hallucinogenous drawings, recourse to the early surrealist period. |
| 1966 |
Austrian Graphic Award. |
| 1967 |
First Body Paintings. |
| 1968 |
painting on his own face.
First grimace photographs in a photo - machine.
Solo exhibition at the Museum of the 20th Century in Vienna. |
|
| 1969 |
exhibition of his art brut - collection at the Galerie nächst St. Stephan, Vienna. |
| |
| 1970 |
Series of over-painted photographs. |
| 1971 |
Solo exhibition at Kunstverein Hamburg.
Rainer represented Austria at the Biennale of Sâo Paulo. |
|
| In 1972 |
he participated at the documenta V in Kassel. |
| In 1973 |
he developped the hand- and finger painting of gestures.
Co-operation with Dieter Roth.
Solo exhibition at the Albertina, Vienna. |
|
| 1974 |
Art Award of the City of Vienna. He refused to be present at the award ceremony, whereupon the award was withdrawn. |
| |
| Since 1975 |
he has been working over reproductions after Doré, Leonardo, Van Gogh, Franz Xaver Messerschmidt, et alii. |
| |
| 1976 |
Solo exhibition at the Neue Galerie Linz ("Face Farces": photo - overpaintings and - overdrawings 1969-1976). |
| |
| In 1977 |
he participated at the documenta VI, Kassel, |
| 1978 |
at the Venice Biennale. |
| In 1980 |
studios in Upper Austria and Bavaria.
Rainer returned to religious themes (crosses, figures of Christ).
Solo exhibition at the National Gallery, Berlin. He participated at the Venice Biennale. |
|
| In 1981 |
he became professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna and member of the Berlin Academy of the Arts.
Solo exhibitions at the Stedelijk -Van -Abbe -Museum, Eindhoven, the Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. |
|
| In 1982 |
he showed his hand- and finger- paintings at the documenta VII in Kassel.
Hiroshima- Cycle: series of drawings on photographs of the destroyed city, shown in 17 European cities. |
|
| In 1984 |
important retrospective at the Centre Pompidou, Paris ("Mort et Sacrifice").
Bavarian TV produced a film about Arnulf Rainer. |
| |
| In 1985 |
he particularly worked on botanical and zoological illustrations of 18th & 19th Cent. books. |
| |
| 1986 |
Co-operation with Günter Brus. |
| 1987 |
touring exhibition "Arnulf Rainer - Louis Soutter. Les doigts peignent". |
| |
| In 1988 |
he began to work on the Shakespeare - Cycle.
Solo exhibition at the Upper Austrian Landesmuseum Linz. |
| |
| 1989 |
Solo exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, New York, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, Historisches Museum, Vienna. |
| |
| Since 1991 |
Rainer has been working on "martyr-" and "disaster- paintings" and the "angel series". |
| |
| In 1993 |
opening of the Arnulf Rainer Museum in New York.
"Cosmos" paintings, which were, for the first time, published in a book (1994). |
| |
| 1994 |
film portrait of Rainer by Austrian television ORF.
Several of Rainer's paintings were destroyed at his academy studio in Vienna by unknown persons.
Solo exhibition at the Schömer-Haus, Klosterneuburg. |
|
| Since 1994 |
Arnulf Rainer is working on "micro-cosmos macro-cosmos". |
| In 1995 |
he retired from the Academy.
Solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, Bozen. |
| |
| 1996 |
special exhibition at the 23rd Bienal Internacional de Sâo Paulo. |
| 1997 |
important retrospective at the Kunsthalle Krems, Austria.
Rainer is working on "veil-" and "diagonal-" paintings.
Touring exhibition through South America.
He continues his "mime - portraits", which were shown during the Salzburg Festival in August 1998.
He completed the work on the bible.
He worked on the "Giotto-Cycle" and the "dreamland-series". |
|
| 1998 |
solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Prague and the Carolino Augusteum, Salzburg. |
| |
| 1999 |
Solo exhibitions at Galerie Ropac, Paris, at the Städtische Kunstsammlungen Augsburg, Germany, at the Rupertinum, Salzburg. |
| |
| 2000 |
solo exhibitions to celebrate the artist's 70th birthday at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, the Kunstforum Bank Austria, Vienna and the Neue Galerie der Stadt Linz. |
|
