Vienna art supermarket opens for 20th time with 6,000 works

The Kunstsupermarkt art market has opened for the 20th time on Mariahilferstrasse in Vienna, offering more than 6,000 original works from 69 euros with free admission, ORF reports. This year’s motto is “Art makes you happy.”

The works include drawings, watercolours, acrylic and oil paintings, photography and sculptures. The market runs from 14 October to 13 March at Mariahilferstrasse 103. It is open Monday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Artists returning from previous years include Golif, Multimoni and Klaus Hollauf. New participants include Victoria Bogensberger, who draws people in a style she describes as “Viennese Schmäh” under the name Vaccula. Bogensberger graduated from the University of Applied Arts Vienna.

The market also features Croatian street artist Lunar, known for colourful graffiti, as well as Nati Ramon from Spain and Swiss artists Nadia Corazza and Marianne Maritz. Alexandra Irlacher from Lower Austria is taking part again after a break; one of her hallmarks is embroidering words onto her paintings.

Free guided tours have been part of the programme since it began, with schools and companies among those taking part. Art historians explain how contemporary art and the art market work, while artists demonstrate their techniques using their own work.

According to the organiser, around 500,000 people have visited the market over the past 19 years and 50,000 original works have been sold. The first art supermarket was held in Marburg in the late 1990s, and Peter Doujak brought the concept to Vienna.