Costs 240,000 euros

Sobotka on sculptures: no “guilty conscience”

Wolfgang Sobotka, head of construction at Parliament, single-handedly brought two precious pieces of art into the House on the last day of work

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

The former President of the National Council caused a stir with the purchase of two valuable pieces by Erwin Wurm. Sobotka argues with low costs and refers to thriftiness when it comes to cultural assets compared to Germany.

In the finale, Parliament was treated to a real Sobotka classic. 24 hours before his departure as National President, delivery vans parked themselves on the ramp of the parliament. Two larger-than-life sculptures by the internationally renowned Austrian artist Erwin Wurm were unloaded and have now found their place in front of the Hall of Columns.

Sobotka's farewell gift cost the parliament 240,000 euros (excluding VAT) - Sobotka decided on the purchase single-handedly, as the parliamentary administration confirmed to krone.at in a report by "Newsflix".

"Arm-Bein" and "Bein-Bein" by Erwin Wurm now adorn the parliament.

(Bild: Leserreporter/Fabian)

"This is a petitesse"
 This caused a stir on the day the 183 MPs were sworn in. Sobotka justified the purchase and going it alone to the "Krone" newspaper. He saw it as a "petitesse" (trifle) and had no "guilty conscience". The budget would have been available anyway. After all, 0.5 percent of the general renovation budget had been earmarked for the purchase of art during the renovation of the parliament.

Spending less than Germans
But only 0.35 percent has been used so far. "That's much less than the German Bundestag has spent on art anyway. In Germany, the budget for art in architecture amounted to two percent. 0.5 percent is modest for a cultural nation like Austria anyway," says Sobotka.

In addition, a contemporary sculpture by Erwin Wurm was originally planned for the forecourt of the parliament, but this could not be realized after the renovation due to official reasons. An alternative project was therefore sought. Sobotka sees the purchase as a perfect investment for the Parliament.

The purchase "was justified"
"The Ropac Gallery is asking 600,000 euros for these two sculptures. Parliament got them directly from the artist for 240,000 euros. The value will certainly increase," the former President of the National Council is convinced. There was also a written recommendation from Hans Peter Wipplinger, the Parliament's art curator, to purchase these sculptures. In view of this history, the ex-President of the National Council concluded that going it alone was justified.