Museum Angerlehner

“There are still ice-cold studios today”

Heinz Josef Angerlehner and Brigitte Löw-Radeschnig at the "Collector's Choice" show in Thalheim.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

With "Collector's Choice", the Museum Angerlehner in Thalheim near Wels is giving an insight into two renowned private art collections for the first time. Big names in contemporary art are on display. Heinz Josef Angerlehner also talks to the "Krone" newspaper about why collecting also pays off in human terms. And he reflects on the future of his museum.

"It was amazing, there were even people from Hamburg," says Heinz Josef Angerlehner about the "Collectors Choice" exhibition, which is on display at the Museum Angerlehner until March 30.

The industrialist, who opened an impressive private museum in 2013, has been positioning himself with top-class exhibitions ever since. Now, with this new format, he is providing an insight into the focal points and multifaceted nature of various collector personalities for the first time - an important step in making the approach and significance of this commitment visible.

A wide range with big names
He has invited the Viennese entrepreneur Brigitte Löw-Radeschnig. The two of them are staging a "Who's Who" of contemporary Austrian art with 130 works - in a kind of visual dialog. Big names such as Herbert Brandl, Xenia Hausner or Arnulf Rainer and international positions result in an all-round show that also makes differences clear: "I am a collector with the possibilities of a museum, large formats are not a problem, Löw-Radeschnig tends to buy works to hang in her home," says Angerlehner.

Collecting can also be a "start-up aid"
One thing they have in common is their dedication to creating work that takes a confrontational approach to the present. And: both are open to young positions. Is it still possible to make discoveries today? "Yes, even today there are artists with ice-cold studios who can't afford to heat them. That's where I help." Often the launch pad for great careers.

Museum Angerlehner is now so well established that major museums such as the Belvedere borrow works: "People here may underestimate me - but I simply have a flair for art."

"You don't have to fool yourself, you don't live forever"
Heinz Josef Angerlehner is passionate about art - and thinks openly about the future of his museum in Thalheim in the "Krone" talk.

"I've been collecting for almost 44 years," says Heinz Josef Angerlehner. The art doyen turned a former industrial hall in Thalheim into one of the largest and most beautiful private museums in Austria.

"Krone": What significance does collecting art have in your life?

Heinz Josef Angerlehner: A special one, it broadens my horizons. But art education in museums is also important to me. I want to introduce pupils to contemporary art. In the meantime, it has been very well received. In 2023, there were 2,000 schoolchildren there, and last year it also went in this direction, which of course makes me very happy!

Do you have a favorite place in your museum?
On the terrace. I've already sat there with a Nobel Prize winner, Anton Zeilinger, a very nice person.

Allow me to ask: have you already thought about how the Angerlehner Museum will continue?
You can never say what will happen in a month, two months, a year or several years. I would like the museum to continue to exist. Politicians should play their part, all political groups. The state should also say: this must be preserved. I'm 82 years old, I'm active, but of course I'm feeling my age. You don't have to fool yourself, you don't live forever. In any case, I am ready to talk.