Collection The future of Heidi Horten, the new museum in Vienna
Word to the curator of the inaugural exhibition of the Heidi Horten Collection, the Viennese museum named after the patron who died a few days after the opening of the museum
It has just opened its doors with the exhibition To open, the museum dedicated to the collection of Heidi Horten, in a strategic position between the Albertina museum and the Opera House. Classical music echoes in the inner courtyard, where we stand for a moment to contemplate the small garden with sculpture at the entrance to the museum. To welcome us is the curator Véronique Abpurg.
THE STORY OF THE PATRON HEIDI GOËSS-HORTEN
The Viennese Heidi Goess-Horten (Vienna, 1941 – Lake Wörthersee, 2022) joins a long series of female collectors whose vision has brought her a public commitment to art, as pointed out by the director of the museum, Agnes Husslein-Arco in the pages of the catalog. We cite the recent inauguration of the Luma creative campus in Arles founded by the Swiss collector Maja Hoffmann, or the Muzeum Susch of the Polish entrepreneur and collector Grażyna Kulczyk in the Engadine.
The tradition of female benefactors in the field of art also includes Julia Stoschek, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Ingvild Goetz and Peggy Guggenheim. We therefore ask the curator to tell us how this collection was born, which counts different things of works. “The couple Heidi and Helmut Horten bought works already in the 1960s, but relatively few, among which works by Picasso and Chagall stand out. The real collection began after her husband’s death, in the 1980s and 1990s, with the advice of the current museum director Agnes Husslein-Arco, which resulted in a steady increase in acquisitions.
There have always been loans from the collection for other exhibitions. And then came the idea of exclusively this collection at the Leopold Museum in 2018 through 160 works. Many eras and many artists have been exhibited and the resonance has been extremely positive. From this beautiful experience came the idea of the permanent collection in a designated place in Vienna, the birthplace of Heidi Horten. A somewhat secluded, intimate place overlooking an internal courtyard was chosen“.
INTERVIEW WITH CURATOR VÉRONIQUE ABPURG
How will the management of the museum and collections continue after the recent death of Heidi Horten?
Throughout her life, Heidi Horten has taken great care of the preservation and continuation of the work of a lifetime, which primarily includes the new museum. Part of her assets will benefit medical research, which has been promoted by her and the Helmut Horten Foundation for many decades. The other part is intended to support and develop the multiple activities of the Heidi Horten Collection, which is thus guaranteed for generations.
In the current exhibition we are faced with a small selection from the rich collection. How is this exhibition project articulated?
The focus of the first exhibition is the architecture of the museum, which dialogues with exemplary works from the collection without following a chronological path. There are trends, such as the work with neon that we find in the exhibition: the works of John M. Armleder and Dan Flavin illuminate this new palace-museum. Another focus is dedicated to animals, a passion of the collector, and it is interesting to see which animals are represented by the different artists. For example, in the work of the French couple composed of François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne they are very humanized, even in the courtyard we find two animal sculptures by Barry Flanagan.
Another theme is writing in art, here we have a collaboration of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol. The site-specific installation is also presented in the first room Vibrosauria by Costantin Luser composed of 25 trumpets, which spreads over two floors and which can be played by visitors.
The architectural aspect of the building is important in this first exhibition, as already mentioned, and Stefan Oláh’s photographs present the site of the museum without the presence of people, although the work of man is evident in this architectural project.
Visitors can also virtually enter the ateliers of some of the artists on display, through short videos. It is always interesting to dare to speak to the artist.
There are also important Austrian artists such as Franz West and Erwin Wurm with his ephemeral sculptures and the English Damien Hirst with the work Love love lovewhere dead butterflies fly in a turquoise sky.
The theme linked to writing then returns with the works of two exponents of contemporary art history such as Alighiero Boetti and Robert Rauschenberg and the young Austrian artist Nick Oberthaler. And we find the light again with the iconic neon by Dan Flavin dedicated to Helen Winkler, the great promoter of minimal and conceptual art in the Sixties in New York.
There are many works on display that put the greats of art in dialogue with the younger generations. A “tea room” invites us to a contemplative break during the visit, here we can consult the catalog of the exhibition and there is no shortage of artists’ incursions. The furniture is made by Markus Schinwald and Hans Kupelwieser covered the ceiling with a purple cloud of aluminum. Small precious objects from the collection are also presented here. The bathroom also has its own work of art, a mirror on each floor made by Andreas Duscha representing bouquets of flowers, as symbols of protests and revolutions.
THE HEIDI HORTEN COLLECTION IN VIENNA
How was the museographic project developed?
It is a very open space and the desire to leave a lot of room for architecture to be observed. The project by ENTERprise Architects convinced Heidi Horten because she gave the Hanuschhof an atmosphere that respects the history of the building and at the same time the needs of a future-oriented museum.
The exhibition platforms act as panoramic balconies overlooking the other levels. The movable walls can be inserted at will to separate the levels from the surrounding volumes and create closed spaces. The balustrades and stairs form an interconnected spatial continuum.
Inclusion is important, for example on Thursday evenings the visit to the museum is free for everyone. How are you making the museum a space for comparison for different generations?
Art education for children and young people is a top priority for the museum, so admission will also be free for schoolchildren. This is a novelty in the Vienna museum sector. On Thursday evenings, admission is free for everyone from 6 to 9 pm.
We also have two cultural mediators in our team who have a specific program for children. Respecting the collector’s will to bring the younger generations to the museum as well
What are the next exhibition projects?
I can already say that there will be two major exhibitions a year. In October there will be the first exhibition, Appearance, with a very specific theme that will highlight Heidi Horten as a public figure, through her haute couture dresses and also a part of the collection that was not imagined for public use. The presence of women in the collection is important and how the portrait genre has evolved over time. We will develop the themes of the exhibitions always in relation with the collection that counts different things of works.
In the future we look forward to creating positive cooperatives with other museums in Vienna. Currently this is the largest collection open to the public dedicated to 20th and 21st century art.
– Giorgia Losio