Heinrich Reisenbauer, © Martin Vukovits

On February 21, 2025, Heinrich Reisenbauer, one of Gugging’s great artists, passed away at the age of 87. Reisenbauer was born in Kirchau, Austria, in 1938 and had lived in the House of Artists in Gugging since 1986. The artist was loved for his serial depictions and always aimed to draw and position his motifs drawn with pencil and coloured pencil on paper or acrylic and Edding marker on canvas as accurately as possible next to and below each other. In 1990, the artist was awarded the Oskar Kokoschka Prize together with the Gugging Artists. For years, Reisenbauer paid a visit to the galerie gugging at 2 pm to devote himself to a new work of art. Of his numerous motifs on paper and canvas, the radiant suns became the artist’s favourite motif alongside the moons. Today, the suns also adorn the exterior façade of the Art Brut Center as a kind of trademark of the gallery, welcoming visitors with their radiance. galerie gugging director Nina Katschnig goes into raptures talking about Heinrich Reisenbauer’s artistic approach:

“As simple as his motifs often appeared, they were nevertheless independent and unique in a serial context. What arose from Reisenbauer’s love of order was elevated to an art form in his own unmistakable way. This aspect appealed to many people.”

As direct and colourful as Reisenbauer’s works embrace us, the artist himself was reserved in his communication. His pointed choice of words ranged from monosyllabic answers to silence. This was precisely what made him so incredibly appealing. A dose of malicious glee also slumbered in the artist and occasionally flashed out. Reisenbauer was a true “sir” and was always greeted with a respectful “Mr. Reisenbauer” by the Gugging employees, no matter how many years they had known each other. Today, Heinrich Reisenbauer’s work enjoys great international popularity, as was impressively demonstrated by a solo exhibition in South Korea in 2023. The Scottish fashion designer Christopher Kane also drew inspiration from the Gugging Artist for his fashion shows and created his own Reisenbauer collection. His works can be found in numerous collections and museums worldwide.

Once the artist had completed a piece, he turned away from his work with satisfaction and said: “Done!” – Heinrich Reisenbauer served as a colourful ambassador through his art and created emotional anchors of joy with his paintings, which touched the lives of many people around the world and will continue to do so.

Thank you dear Mr. Reisenbauer for the wonderful time together!

Nina Katschnig & the galerie gugging family

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