The idea of the 66th Vienna Opera Ball to put the ball like 2023 again in the service of solidarity has also been followed by the important Austrian artist Herbert Brandl. He created a work for the ball, to be auctioned. Like all the other donations in connection with the ball, the net revenue from the auction will go to the Österreich hilft Österreich aid organization. The Dorotheum online auction started on 12 January and runs until 15 February 2024, 5.00 pm. The artwork can also be viewed at the Dorotheum until 15 February.

ONLINE AUCTION
 

PAINTING »SPIRIT ROSE«

Herbert Brandl
Spirit Rose, 2023
acrylic on canvas
160 x 120 cm, verso signed and dated

Herbert Brandl’s oeuvre deals with atmospheres and states, the material of colour and the painterly gesture. His works are characterised by inner tension and the intensification of the conflict between colour and light.

The painting »Spirit Rose«, which Herbert Brandl created especially for the 66th Opera Ball, captivates with its circular intensity of colour, a reminiscence of the dancing during the Opera Ball, as well as the colourful gowns in dancing motion. The dynamic brush movements, mixed with linear spray settings and staccato application of the monotype technique, as well as the bright colours, are a tribute to the unique atmosphere of the opera ball.

The work was created by the artist in an atypical way in several steps. The overlapping layers and the countless details symbolise in a way the many small gestures, movements and interactions that take place during the ball.

HERBERT BRANDL

Herbert Brandl (*1959, Graz) is one of the most important contemporary Austrian artists. With his large-format, gesturally expressive works he has established himself as one of the most important representatives of contemporary painting His paintings oscillate between abstraction and figuration, and observations of nature often form the focus for his works. His irrepressible creative process and a powerful and experimental use of color characterize his fascinating work.

From 2004 to 2019 he was professor at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. In 2007 he represented Austria at the Venice Biennale, and in addition to numerous international exhibitions, Brandl participated in Documenta IX in Kassel in 1992 and in the São Paulo Biennale in 1989.

Solo exhibitions (selected): Künstlerhaus, Vienna (2023); Kunsthaus Graz; Kunsthalle Graz; Belvedere 21, Vienna (2020); Museum Franz Gertsch, Burgdorf (2017); Haus der Kunst St. Josef, Solothurn; Osthaus Museum Hagen (2016); Kunsthalle Emden; Altana Kulturstiftung, Bad Homburg; Bank Austria Kunstforum, Vienna (2012); Albertina, Vienna (2010); Deichtorhallen, Hamburg (2009); Künstlerhaus Graz; Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum, Graz (2002); Kunsthalle Basel (1999); Secession, Vienna (1998); Museum Haus Esters, Krefeld (1994); Museum Van Hedendaagse Kunst, Ghent; Kunsthalle Bern (1991).
Solo exhibitions at Galerie nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder, Vienna: 1997, 1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023.
Museum collections and private Foundations (selected): Albertina, Vienna; Centre Pompidou, Paris; Kunsthaus Zürich; Kunstmuseum Bonn; Sammlung KiCo, Bonn; Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, Munich; Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris; Museu Serralves, Porto; Reina Sofia, Madrid; Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris; Jorge M. and Darlene Pérez Collection, Miami; Museum Moderner Kunst, Vienna; Universalmuseum Joanneum, Graz; Thomas und Katja Angermair, Vienna; Strabag-Kunstforum, Vienna; The Renaissance Society, Chicago.