Albertina: Franz Grabmayr

Franz Grabmayr’s motifs are the elements: water, fire, heaven, earth. Nature is his home: rivers and rocks, roots and trees, haystacks and sand pits.

Viewed from close up, his paintings—of a sculptural materiality and frequently weighing up to 100 kg—are reminiscent of abstract, random compositions whose urgent presence leaves us mesmerized by lively brushstrokes, the rhythmic motion of which would seem to be a universally determining factor. From farther away, however, one senses how closely they hew to their objects of study—and there emerge landscapes, rock formations, the wavy lines of fire and smoke, and the ecstatic motions of people dancing as the music’s rhythm flows through their bodies.

In his fire paintings as well as in his dance-themed graphic works, the artist plays with dynamism, ecstasy, and frenzied motion. Colors, momentum, the power of the lively—these are what he used to create an image, said Grabmayr in description of his work.

His pastose painting style, his unique mode of abstraction that drew its power from direct observation of nature, his notion of painting’s weight and perfectly balanced hues lent his painted output an unmistakable quality even during his own lifetime. And yet, there remains much to be discovered about Grabmayr. The ALBERTINA Museum is therefore devoting a solo exhibition to this artist that opens in May 2024 and will feature paintings as well as graphic works.

On view at the ALBERTINA from 17 May until 13 October 2024. 

On the cover: Franz Grabmayr, Sandgrube Sammlung Horst Pirker C Bildrecht Wien

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