helnwein archive

Gottfried Helnwein is one of the most accomplished realist of the day and it is a blessing that he's found his way to a city like San Francisco that for good or bad tries to have very little to do with realistic imagery. From May 7th to June 29th the San Francisco Modernism gallery will be exhibiting Helnwein one man show “The Murmur of Innocence in honor of Francisco de Goya. The theme of the exhibition, the suffering of children in war time, will be familiar to fan's of Helnwein's work and this exhibition will likely be an articulation of the machines of war,

"Helnwein - The Silence Of Innocence" (Claudia Schmid, Germany 2008, 116 min), has been selected for the 24th international Munich Documentary Filmfestival.
Uncompromising, shocking images that bore deep into our collective subconscious and confront our greatest fears – the unihibited creative talent of artist Gottfried Helnwein.

I am unable to think of the words needed to describe this artist. Even if I could, I doubt I'm worthy of speaking them. When I see this guys art, his landscapes, his portrayal of the child, self portraits, I see something completely rational, against a world I still consider primitive and ignorant. Something that I know others would call, insane. That is just a small part of the of greater sum this artist makes me feel. Click the link to check out his web page.

"Helnwein is the next generation's final ally, a skilled provocateur forcing us to confront the legacy we have bequeathed upon our children. Helnwein is our chronicler, our conscience, the antidote to our failing memories. He refuses to let us forget."

Colin Berry
Artweek, California, 2004

My first performance was with Sandra (6 years old). She was considered a problem child by her parents, and I think her mother had a hard time coping with Sandra's wicked sense of humor. For example, one time, as protest for the punishment of being locked in her room, she cut up all her mothers clothes into tiny little pieces, arranged them in a neat pile in the middle of the room and called her mum with the innocent voice of an angel. Another time she set fire to her parent's apartment. She was one tough and mean little lady, but I liked her instantly. She had the pride of a Latino street gang leader. When she looked at you, her piercing little eyes had a very clear message: "don't mess with me".

VIENNA.- The Albertina presents From 1970: Austrian Art in the Albertina, on view through January 11, 2009. Austrian art takes center stage in the second in a series of exhibitions showcasing highlights from the Albertina's collection of 20,000 international contemporary artworks. The series kicked off last year with Art After 1970. The exhibition From 1970: Austrian Art in the Albertina includes around 220 works by 33 artists.

The exhibition Angels Sleeping is a thematic cross-section, predominantly of the painting work of the Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein (born in Vienna in 1948). The five sections of the exhibition present the fundamental circuits of Helnwein's work. The introduction comprises heads - faces, including the artist's iconic self-portrait, painfully acute metaphors of the limits on freedom of expression in Austria in the 1970s and 80s. The artist's merciless approach to the residues of the Nazi past of his country is a further theme, developed in monochrome, hyperrealistic painting. The central and still extremely relevant theme of Helnwein's work however is das malträtierte Kind, the child exposed to suffering. The author engages with this theme in various positions from his early works from the 1970s up to the present day. His collection of works on this theme is given the largest space.

Helnwein为一般人所知也许皆因为他为曼森专辑所设计的封面和CD彩页。扭曲变形的彩色人面封面和CD所附带的"孩童和枪"的彩页，似乎怀着恶意和颠覆在向一切冷冷微笑。而这一系列的造型设计，成为了后来美国校园枪机案后曼森遭受指责的直接原因。
Helnwein出生于维也纳。1969年到1973年在维也纳Fine Art学院学习油画。观察Helnwein的艺术创作，会发现他的作品有这样几个特点，首先是他的作品集中于表现孩童。他从学院毕业的71年开始到90年代的油画作品大部分都是一些缠着绷带，带着缝线伤口向你诡异微笑的孩童，也许原版的格林童话应该让他来做插图，而NICK CAVE应该采用他的早期油画来做插页，咧开撕裂缝合的嘴角，那是小小的孩子渗入骨髓的恐惧和恶意。他的摄象作品则很多都是儿童的各中头像。有很多也是他油画的模特形象。

This collection of the Austrian artist's work is eye-captivating both due to its quality of subject treatment and media treatment. From afar, the gigantic images look like photographs with their quality of detail and realism. However on closer inspection, fine brushstrokes become discernable, especially in several compositions of anime characters interacting with a blindfolded girl, gun in hand-- you can see the fine array of textures in her hair, her blindfold, and the background.

German artist Neo Rauch's muted, unfinished pastiches circa 1945 create a vague sense of nostalgia for some innocent time gone by ("Spur" 1998 and "Light Rays" 1997) and luckily the DAM has one of his works on display as part of the Modern collection on the 3rd floor of the Hamilton building. Contrasting Rauch's naivete was my favorite piece in the show, Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein's "Epiphany; Adoration of the Magi," a twisted take on the Magi (Wise Men of the East) offering gifts unto baby Jesus, however the Magi are played by Nazi officers and the baby Jesus by an infant Hitler. I found the piece hypnotic and chilling: Helnwein forces us to reconsider that much of the historic religious and military imagery we have been exposed to is just as manipulative as his modern re-appropriation. [Note, both Rauch (9/20) and Helnwein (12/13) will be in Denver speaking as part of the DAM's "Artists on Art" series.]