Artist Abstract:
Hermann Nitsch (1938–2022), born in Vienna and active throughout his life at Schloss Prinzendorf in Lower Austria, is recognized as a key co-founder of Viennese Actionism and one of the most significant and versatile contemporary artists. His oeuvre spans actionism, painting, composition (symphonies, organ concerts), drama, and stage design. His central life's work, the Orgia Mystery Theatre (located in Prinzendorf), is a radical Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) that demands the engagement of all five senses, confronting the tragic through materials such as flesh, blood, and entrails to form a unique "school of sensory experience." His works are represented in the Nitsch Museums (Mistelbach and Naples) as well as in leading international museums and galleries.

To preserve and promote this significant legacy, the Nitsch Foundation was established in 2009. Guided by the artist's vision, who stated at its founding, "I cannot achieve what I have in mind alone... I hope that the foundation will help me develop this school of sensory experience", the foundation is dedicated to conveying the philosophical underpinnings of his work. It achieves this goal through public awareness campaigns, publications and editions, performative events, international exhibitions, archival and documentation work, and the ongoing expansion of the catalogue raisonné.

In the special exhibition, the Nitsch Foundation, in collaboration with Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill, presents works by Hermann Nitsch from the 1980s and 1990s. A complementary presentation by Galerie Kandlhofer, featuring a solo booth at Neumarkt, expands the focus to include works from the 2000s. Together, the two exhibitions offer insight into different phases of Hermann Nitsch’s artistic practice and the evolution of his oeuvre over time.