Belvedere 21

Exciting pairing for two great spatial thinkers

Friedrich Kiesler's model for an "Endless House"(Bild: Belvedere 21 / Percy Rainford)

Frederick Kiesler versus Walter Pichler: Belvedere 21 puts two great visionaries on an equal footing

Walter Pichler meets Frederick Kiesler. The event is taking place posthumously at Belvedere 21. In reality, it happened in New York in 1963. Walter Pichler (1936-2012) stayed in the US metropolis from May to November, where Frederick Kiesler (1890-1965) had already moved in 1926.

Exhibition view: Pichler's furniture in front, in the background objects and stools by Frederick Kiesler(Bild: Belvedere/2024©joritaust.com)

 Pichler had previously exhibited "Architecture in Progress" together with Hans Hollein in the Galerie St. Stephan. An architecture that left the (strict) Bauhaus far behind, replacing rationalism and functionality with visions that still have an almost modern effect today.

Walter Pichler, Underground building with retractable core, 1963(Bild: Belvedere 21 / JOHANNES PLATTNER FOTOGRAFIE, A-6020 INNSBRUCK)

It was also Hollein who introduced Pichler, then 27, to the 73-year-old Kiesler. What the two talked about in New York remains a matter of speculation - but is the starting point for curator Verena Gamper to ask about the overlaps between what at first glance appear to be completely contrasting oeuvres.

Frederick Kiesler, "Screen-o-scope" in the film Guild Cinema, New York 1929(Bild: Belvedere 21)

What they do have in common is thinking in "visionary spaces". This is also the title of the exhibition, which juxtaposes works in six chapters. Kiesler's "Raumstadt" of 1925, which cuts through all dimensions, meets Pichler's multi-armed "Unterirdische Stadt".

Walter Pichler, "Large Room (Prototype 3)", 1970(Bild: Belvedere 21)

The organic nature of Kiesler's bubble-shaped "Endless House" is continued in Pichler's head sculptures, in his building-like skulls. With the "Screen-o-scope" in the film Guild Cinema, Kiesler extended the projection into space, while Pichler invented his sense-expanding machines such as the "Small Room" and the "TV Helmet".

Exhibition view with Kiesler's famous Raumstadt in the background(Bild: Belvedere 21 / 2024©joritaust.com)

The furniture designs show the extent to which both thought of their architecture in sculptural terms. This is also how Sonia Leimer understands her successful exhibition architecture for the fascinatingly stimulating pairing.W