A sought-after painter

Anselm Glück: A shy poet with words and color

Anselm Glück with his paintings and the new book

(Bild: Einöder Horst/Horst Einöder/Flashpictures)

Painting, painting over - Anselm Glück has a unique style that has made him famous far beyond Austria's borders. The Galerie in der Schmiede in Pasching/Upper Austria is dedicating an exhibition to him. On display are some rare works by the well-known painter and winner of the Landeskulturpreis 

The painter and writer Anselm Glück (74) is one of those artists who "make themselves scarce" in public, as the saying goes. The Linz-born artist, who lives in Vienna, rarely makes an appearance. According to Glück, he prefers to live and work at an appropriate distance from the world.

Distance and closeness is also the theme that led him to a unique style of painting: First, the canvas is "primed" with gestural strokes, from which Glück develops poetic pictorial worlds.

In great demand for many years
Childlike-looking figures, heads or faces emerge from individual near or distant picture planes - all in appealing colors. This "intensive approach" has made Glück one of Austria's most important artists, and his works are in high demand on the market.

The stage as a hiding place
A completely new cycle of works can be seen at the Galerie in der Schmiede in Pasching, near Linz. Glück, who was awarded the Grand Provincial Culture Prize last year, has chosen "The Stage as a Hiding Place" as the title of the exhibition, which is also the title of his latest book of poetic miniatures.

The gallery is open from 10 am to 4 pm on the first and second Saturday in Advent (closing: December 20).