Burgenland gallery to present major Franz Vana retrospective

The Landesgalerie Burgenland art gallery will present a major retrospective of painter and graphic artist Franz Vana, whom ORF describes as one of the most important outsiders in Austria’s art scene.

Vana, 75, lives and works in a former spirit distillery in Rauchwart, in the Güssing district. He took over the building as a ruin and carefully renovated it over a long period. He says he has developed a personal visual vocabulary, adding and dropping elements over time.

The exhibition will survey work spanning several groups, from black graphite pieces and layered word paintings to surrealist works. It is curated by Katrin Bucher Trantow, chief curator at Kunsthaus Graz. She said the show would begin with early graphite works that explore the depth of the image surface and the material, and include word paintings that invite reflection and “Sunday pictures” that open up dream worlds.

Vana was part of an artists’ group early in his career, but has worked independently for many years. Bucher called him “one of the significant and formative outsiders of the last four decades.” The exhibition is due to open at the Landesgalerie in late January.