Walter Pichler’s Alte Figur (Old Figure), created between 1960 and 1963, was acquired in 2018 by the Belvedere with the support of the Friends of the Belvedere, and is now part of the permanent collection. It is to be presented from November 2019 at the Upper Belvedere in the series CARLONE CONTEMPORARY. This sculpture manifests Pichler’s fundamental concept of art and the parameters of his work he consistently pursued.

Alte Figur’s stoicism,

technical precision, and presentation call to mind archaic artefacts. Its lucid geometry and axial orientation will be placed in juxtaposition with the Baroque frescoes by Carlo Innocenzo Carlone. Standing, seated or lying, Pichler has provided a bed for his figure in the form of a mattress that is a base, dwelling, and throne rolled into one. The immediate connection between life and work is central to the artist’s oeuvre – he originally positioned the installation beside his own bed in his studio. Alte Figur anticipates the main theme of Pichler’s later work: a harmony between space, sculpture, material, and time. 

Curated by Stella Rollig.

Belvedere