Beyond Airbrushed from Art History: Arnulf Rainer

Jérôme Cottin writes that Arnulf Rainer 'is undoubtedly the most important living Austrian artist. His work is known and valued across the world. In his early years he belonged to the Austrian avant-garde and rebelled against all kinds of institutions in his country from state and school to various cultural institutions. Thanks to his encounter with the Viennese archbishop Otto Mauer he became interested in religion, the Christian faith and mysticism. The clergyman (as organizer) and the artist mounted several illustrious expositions together. In 2004 Rainer received a honorary doctorate from the Catholic Theological Faculty of Münster in Germany. His startling and sometimes provocative work is often exhibited in churches.'

'This year the world celebrates the artist's 85th birthday with exhibitions from London to New York. In his native Austria, the Albertina Museum of Vienna hosts a retrospective exhibit of his key works that looks at the major stages of his multifarious creative activities. The Hungarian National Gallery joins in the international celebration with this display, staged almost concurrently with the Viennese exhibition. The Budapest exhibit presents works from the best-known series of one of Arnulf Rainer's most important periods, the paraphrases of Goya he started to make in the early 1980s.'

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