WOLFGANG HERZIG - Paintings and works on paper

The exhibition “Wolfgang Herzig: Paintings – Works on Paper” highlights the independent and distinctive style of Wolfgang Herzig and affirms his position as a central figure in Austrian art history. The presentation includes 25 works from recent years, among them large-format pieces as well as ten oil paintings and fourteen works on paper in acrylic and chalk.
Herzig, a key figure in Austrian art history, belongs to the generation of painters who, in the 1960s, developed a new form of realist painting—as a counterpoint to the then-dominant abstract and conceptual mainstream. Over the decades, his style has remained unmistakably personal. Uninfluenced by changing artistic trends, he has consistently pursued his own distinct approach to figurative, socially critical painting. Even in his most recent works, the depicted scenes remain closely tied to everyday life. Domestic situations and interpersonal encounters take center stage, often intimate moments that frequently carry a characteristic erotic undertone.

The depicted spaces initially appear familiar, yet often develop a grotesque, ironic, or subtly unsettling atmosphere. While the painting remains figurative, it is not affirmative: the images portray reality without idealizing or endorsing it. Rather, they often contain a subtle critique of social norms, role models, and power structures. For this reason, his oeuvre is frequently described as a form of critical, postmodern realism, in which political and social themes are reflected through everyday situations and the depiction of human physicality.