Exploring Walter Pichler's Burgenland, Austria: A Visitor's Guide

Austrian sculptor, artist, architect, and designer Walter Pichler lived and worked on a farm in Sankt Martin an der Raab in southern Burgenland from 1972 until his death in 2012. Pichler's body of work is characterised by a tension between architecture and sculpture, with his sculptures often being housed in their own unique buildings. While he was known to distance himself from the art establishment, there are several ways in which you can experience Pichler's work in Austria. In addition to the residential building in Sankt Martin, there are several other buildings Pichler constructed on the farm, including the Haus für den Rumpf und Schädeldecken (House for the Torso and the Skullcaps), the Haus für die Wagen (house for the car), the Haus für das große Kreuz (House for the Big Cross), and the Haus für die zwei Tröge (house for the two troughs). Pichler's work has also been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Biennale de Paris, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Walter Pichler's work can be viewed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City

Walter Pichler's work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. In 1967, he showcased three of his Prototypen (prototypes) pieces, including the "TV-Helm" or "Portable Living Room", a white, torpedo-shaped helmet with a television inside, and "Großer Raum", a pneumatic sculpture. The Museum of Modern Art also exhibited his work in 1975, in a show called "Projects", which displayed works from 1971 to 2000.

Pichler's work often spanned the areas between sculpture and architecture, with an interest in utopian city models and projects that dealt with space and perception. He aimed to liberate architecture from the constraints of building in the 1960s and to detach sculpture from the constraints of frozen abstraction. His work was often the result of a slow and meticulous process, with Pichler making many sketches, scale drawings, and plans before building models and, finally, the sculptures themselves.

Pichler's work has also been exhibited at the Biennale de Paris, Documenta 4 in Kassel, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, which presented 74 of his drawings from 1970 to 1978. In addition to these exhibitions, Pichler created a unique place of art at his home in Sankt Martin in southern Burgenland, Austria, where he built a multitude of constructions specifically designed for his sculptures.

Pichler's work is also exhibited at the MAK in Austria

Walter Pichler was an Austrian sculptor, artist, architect and designer. His work is exhibited at the MAK (Museum of Applied Arts) in Vienna, Austria.

Pichler's work is characterised by an inherent tension between architecture and sculpture. He began his artistic studies at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Innsbruck and graduated from the Vienna University of Applied Art in 1955. From the 1960s onwards, Pichler's work spanned the areas between sculpture and architecture. In 1963, he had his first exhibition, Architecture, along with Hans Hollein at Galerie nächst St. Stephan in Vienna.

Pichler created objects and installations that dealt with architectural designs for utopian city models and projects that dealt with space and perception. He developed visionary architectural ideas, sometimes in collaboration with Hollein. Together, they wanted to "liberate" architecture from the constraints of building in the 1960s and to detach sculpture from the constraints of frozen abstraction.

Pichler's work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in 1967, and at the Biennale de Paris and Documenta 4 in 1968. In 1972, he bought an old farm in Sankt Martin an der Raab in southern Burgenland, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. He spent more time there than in his Vienna studio, creating an ideal environment for his sculptures. Pichler worked slowly and meticulously, sometimes taking decades to complete a sculpture as he first made many sketches, scale drawings and plans, and then built models.

The MAK in Vienna holds a significant place in the exhibition and interpretation of Pichler's work. Peter Noever, the director of the MAK, recounts his long-standing interest in Pichler's work and his efforts to showcase it at the museum. Noever describes Pichler's work as having a "holistic worldview", with each piece being a "protagonist of an overall whole".

Pichler's sculptures and installations challenge traditional notions of art, architecture and the role of the museum. Noever emphasises that Pichler's work demands a unique place of exhibition, one that respects the subjectivity and holistic quality of his creations. The MAK provides this "place-of-being" for Pichler's work, particularly for his piece "Gate to the Garden", which intervenes in the historic architectural substance of the museum.

Pichler's work continues to be exhibited and interpreted at the MAK, with drawings and objects now part of the museum's Collection of Contemporary Art. The museum's commitment to Pichler's work extends beyond traditional curatorial practices, reflecting a deep respect for the artist's unique vision and process.

Pichler's work spanned areas between sculpture and architecture

Walter Pichler's oeuvre is characterised by an inherent tension between architecture and sculpture. From the 1960s onwards, Pichler's work spanned areas between sculpture and architecture. Pichler created objects and installations that dealt with architectural designs for utopian city models and projects that dealt with space and perception. He developed visionary architectural ideas, at times collaborating with Hans Hollein. Together, they wanted to "liberate" architecture from the constraints of building in the 1960s and to detach sculpture from the constraints of frozen abstraction.

Pichler's architectural drawings were not just plans; they were also works of art in themselves. Other images—what he called "dream drawings"—were dark and psychologically loaded. His figures were often skeletal or robotic. Pichler's starting point was architecture, which began in the 1960s with a provocative outcry advocating a new sort of architecture, an architecture whose bold, strong and powerful utopias still represent a challenge for present-day students at institutions. Pichler's success has been in defining this position, giving it lasting significance and, just as he does with his own works, creating identity.

In Gate to the Garden, Pichler created a sculptural work that intervenes successfully and empathetically in the historic architectural substance of the museum. At the same time, it allows sculpture and architecture to become a single whole, thereby also inseparably joining museum and artwork. Pichler created not only an autonomous work but also opened a gateway for art. Pichler's sculptures are part of an overall whole, and fragmentation or removal from this whole is something they tolerate only with difficulty. His sculptures do not accept changes in ownership; they belong to Pichler just as he belongs to them. Pichler's refusal to give in to the seductions and dictates of the art market is the logical consequence of this unity.

Pichler's sculptures were not for sale

Austrian sculptor, artist, architect, and designer Walter Pichler's sculptures were primarily not for sale. Pichler bought an old farm in Sankt Martin an der Raab in southern Burgenland in 1972, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. He spent more time there than in his Vienna studio and created his ideal environment for his sculptures.

Pichler believed Sankt Martin was the ideal place for his work and reluctantly sent them to exhibitions. He built each sculpture its own space, including the Haus für den Rumpf und Schädeldecken (House for the Torso and the Skullcaps), the Haus für die Wagen (house for the car), the Haus für das große Kreuz (House for the Big Cross), and the Haus für die zwei Tröge (house for the two troughs).

Pichler worked extremely slowly, sometimes taking decades to complete a sculpture as he first made many sketches, scale drawings, and plans, and then built models. Time was an important material for him, on equal footing with materials like plastic, clay, wood, and various metals. He placed great importance on quality craftsmanship and accuracy, repeatedly combining difficult-to-unite materials.

Pichler earned his living partially by selling sketches, plans, and drawings and partially by designing books. He refused to teach at universities and accepted most state grants. He also accepted the Tyrolean State Prize and the Grand Austrian State Prize in 1985, an annual award given to an Austrian artist for exceptional work.

Pichler's work is characterised by an inherent tension between architecture and sculpture

Walter Pichler's oeuvre is characterised by an inherent tension between architecture and sculpture. Pichler, an Austrian sculptor, artist, architect and designer, created objects and installations that explored architectural designs for utopian city models and projects that dealt with space and perception. His work challenged modernist architecture, which often resulted in stark, unornamented buildings constructed from concrete and metal. Pichler, instead, sought to liberate" architecture from the constraints of building in the 1960s and to free sculpture from the limitations of "frozen abstraction".

Pichler's work, which began in the 1960s, spanned the realms of both sculpture and architecture. He collaborated with fellow architect Hans Hollein to develop visionary architectural ideas. Pichler's sculptures and installations included portable TV helmets, or "living rooms", and a pneumatic sculpture called "Großer Raum". Pichler also created drawings and models of fantastical structures, such as floating cities and underground buildings. His architectural drawings were not merely plans but works of art in themselves.

Pichler's sculptures and installations were often site-specific, with each piece designed for a particular location. In 1972, he bought an old farm in Sankt Martin an der Raab in southern Burgenland, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. There, he created an ideal environment for his sculptures, building a unique place of art with constructions that resembled miniature temples. Each sculpture had its own space, with buildings such as the Haus für den Rumpf und Schädeldecken (House for the Torso and the Skullcaps), the Haus für die Wagen (House for the Car), and the Haus für das große Kreuz (House for the Big Cross).

Pichler's work often took decades to complete, as he meticulously crafted each piece through a process of sketching, scale drawings, plans, and model-building. He believed that time was an essential material, just as important as the physical materials he used, such as plastic, clay, wood, lead, tin, and zinc. Pichler's dedication to his craft and his unique vision resulted in a body of work that challenged conventional boundaries between sculpture and architecture, creating a holistic experience that drew observers into his worldview.

Frequently asked questions