Gladstone presents Walter Pichler:
Sculptures, Drawings, Models, marking the artist’s first exhibition with the
gallery since 2001, curated by Olivia Shao. Comprising fourteen works from
across Pichler’s rich career, the show highlights the wide range of mediums in
which he practiced, including photography, sculpture, and drawing, as well as
his exploration of architecture, history, and the relationship between the
human body and technology. This exhibition marks a special tribute to late
gallery founder Barbara Gladstone, as it was the last presentation she actively
oversaw, in close dialogue with Shao and the Walter Pichler Estate.
Walter Pichler shunned the limelight of
the artworld and the art market, adopting, instead, the quiet surroundings of
his home in Saint Martin, a small village in southeastern Austria, where he
lived from 1973 until his death. It was there that he built a series of
buildings to house his sculptures. In all his work lies a profound synergy
between space and form. This fluid exchange between the built environment and
sculpture has at its source a small figurine, perhaps a Christ figure, that he
found in a barn on his land when he first arrived. He was inspired to build an
altar for it and converted the building into a specially- designed receptacle
to house this enigmatic item.
Working slowly with no external pressure,
he immersed himself in the process of melding sculpture, landscape, and
architecture, utilizing formal systems reliant upon equilibrium and frontality.
He drew upon traditional building materials such as lead, clay, iron, wood, and
glass to construct both edifice and art, spaces for meditation and observation,
as well as objects for contemplation. The resulting compound for his work
recalls Donald Judd’s Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas or, even earlier, Kurt
Schwitters’ Merzbau in Hannover, Germany from 1923-37. This constructed
environment became a lifelong undertaking for the artist, and it is a rare
opportunity to encounter his sculptures and drawings outside of it.
Pichler’s architectural credentials date to his early studies at the
Kunstgewerbeschule in Innsbruck and the University for Applied Arts in Vienna,
after which he frequently collaborated with famed Austrian architect Hans
Hollein. Together they formulated a kind of visionary architecture, freed from
the constraints of actual construction. His Prototypen (prototypes)
series, dating from 1967, imagines a hybrid zone between designing, building,
and sculpting. Many of his early drawings from this period envision fantastical
non-spaces that coexist as site and as form, morphing into imaginary
architectural spacecrafts. At the time, Pichler deployed unconventional
materials borrowed from industrial production like automobile and space
technology, such as plastics and aluminum. In 1968, he was included in
Documenta 4 with TV-Helm (Tragbares Wohnzimmer) (TV Helmet [Portable
Living Room]) and Radioweste (Radio Vest), both 1967. And a year later,
for William Klein’s film Mr. Freedom, he created a cubicle out of PVC tubes and
metal pipes. These works tied him to a Pop-art sensibility during the 1960s and
70s, but Pichler’s practice remains too nuanced and eccentric to ever be
situated within one particular artistic movement.
--
Curatorial Statement
When Barbara Gladstone invited me to
organize an exhibition of Walter Pichler’s work in the summer of 2023, she did
so with one important condition: that I travel to Vienna and the Austrian
countryside to see his extensive body of work firsthand—his drawings,
sculptures, models, experiments, and architecture.
Visiting Vienna offered invaluable insight
into the inner workings of a brilliant artist, architect, and craftsman. In
contrast, traveling to Pichler’s compound in the Burgenland countryside felt
like stepping back in time—an immersive experience revealing the deep
interconnection between his studio practice, domestic life, and natural
surroundings. It was there that I fully understood his uncompromising
commitment to working entirely on his own terms. Inside his workshop,
surrounded by sculptures and models, one witnesses a deeply disciplined,
labor-intensive process, where humble materials such as clay, plaster,
concrete, wood, and metal, are transformed through meticulous care and
intentions.
Set amid the expansive landscape of his
farm, seven architectural structures built by Pichler himself house his
sculptures. These buildings are not mere containers but extensions of the
work—integrated with the environment, built to endure the seasons, and
responsive to the changing natural light. As light shifts throughout the day,
perception of the work changes, fostering a deeply personal and evolving
relationship with each piece. In this idyllic setting, time seems to stand
still, dissolving the boundaries between art, architecture, and life.
Walter Pichler: Sculptures, Drawings,
Models brings together a range of works
exploring themes central to Pichler’s practice: the relationship between the
body, perception, and time; reflections on technology; and traces of personal
and cultural history. References to ancient civilizations are evident in his
materials and forms. One important work, Finds from Crete (1970), evokes
the concept of the readymade by juxtaposing an aluminum hook found by the
artist with a marble-scale reconstruction of a “Horn of Consecration,” an
artifact uncovered by archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. These horns, once placed
atop Minoan and Mycenaean tombs and shrines, are believed to mark sacred
structures. They may represent bull horns, or, as recent scholarship suggests,
connect to the “Egyptian symbol of the mountain or horizon.” This layered symbolism echoes Pichler’s
enduring interest in the horizon line, a formal and conceptual thread woven
throughout his sculptures, models, drawings, and architectural works.
The exhibition also highlights personal
relationships that shaped Pichler’s life and work. These include a poignant
photograph of Woman in bronze and lead, unfinished (1990), taken by the
artist’s wife Elfi Tripamer; the previously unseen The Lonely Friend
(1981), a sculpture made for his daughter Anna; a photograph of Stone (1962),
which functions as both a beautiful sculpture and a grave marker for a friend,
Horst Hutterer; and Butterfly (1962), a favorite piece of Barbara’s.
Barbara spoke with such warmth and admiration for Walther Pichler and his
family—her eyes lit up as she recounted memories of his many projects and the
remarkable architecture he created to house his work. This exhibition serves as
a tribute to her as much as to Pichler, honoring the personal connections that
bring new and intimate perspectives to his art.
It has been a privilege to work closely
with Anna Tripamer, Walter Pichler’s daughter and director of the estate, whose
knowledge and generosity made this exhibition possible. I am deeply grateful to
both Anna and Elfi Tripamer. My sincere thanks also to Kathy Halbreich for her
enduring friendship, insight, and support.
Thank you to Paula, Vesper, Caroline, Max,
Gavin, Frederik, Lauren, Mathias, Trey, Patrick, and the entire team at
Gladstone Gallery. And special thanks to Rich Aldrich, Jay Sanders, and
Phillippa Shao.
—Olivia Shao