Hundertwasser

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Hundertwasser

• By Ingrid Bergstrom

Progress is regression and regression is
progress
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Life and Times

• Hundertwasser was born in Vienna, Austria on
  December 15th, 1928 as Friedrich Stowasser
• His father died the following year, he was a
  technical servant and officer during World War I.
  
• He started to draw at the age of six in 1934
• In 1943, sixty-nine of his relations from his
  mothers side were deported from Austria and
  killed because of the Holocaust

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Life and Times cont.

• In 1949 he starts to travel extensively around
  Europe
• His sense of style develops and he assumes the
  name of Hundertwasser
• He married in 1958 in Gibraltar, and later
  divorced in 1960
• Married again in 1961 to Yuko Ikewada, who he met
  on a trip to Japan
• They divorce in 1966
• His mother dies in 1972

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Life and Times cont.

• Becomes a very successful artist and famous
  world-wide
• Designs sets of postage stamps and receives many
  awards for them
• Moves to New Zealand to live and work in 1999
• Dies on Saturday, February 19th aboard to Queen
  Elizabeth II in the pacific Ocean
• The cause of death was a heart attack
• Was buried under a tulip tree in New Zealand in
  the Garden of the Happy Deads, it was his wish to
  be buried there

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Hundertwassers Training

• Hundertwasser spend three months in the Academy
  of Fine Arts, Vienna in 1948
• He was taught by professor Robin Christian
  Andersen
• He was strongly by Walter Kampmann during this
  period in his life
• Started to travel around Europe and see different
  artwork, while developing his own sense of style
• Influenced by Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), and his
  building La Sagrada Familia

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Training cont.

• In 1949 Hundertwasser met Rene Bro, who was
  another influence, and traveled with him to Paris
• Stayed with Bro and attended the Ecole des Beaux
  Arts but left after his first day
• In 1953 he worked in Bros studio and
• Hundertwasser is a secessionist, which tied very
  closely to Art Nouveau, a movement started in the
  late 18th, early 19th century
• Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiell are a few other
  artists similar to Hundertwasser

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The Incinerator

• The incinerator was built from 1988 to 1992 upon
  the request of Viennas mayor, Helmut Zilk
• Hundertwasser was initially opposed because of
  the environmental problems burning garbage
  caused, but consented when he was told that the
  incinerator would also supply power to houses,
  cutting down on pollution

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The incinerator cont.

• The incinerator in located in the Spittelau
  district in Vienna
• The Incinerator is an icon in Vienna, because it
  is so tall and out in public, many tourists also
  see it

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World events

• Many things happened during Hundertwassers time
• World War II took place when he was in his teens,
  and much of his family on his mothers side was
  killed, but Hundertwassers work was never
  political or anti-war, he did not focus on that
  at all
• Many inventions took place during his life time,
  and Hundertwassers work moved with the times,
  his work sometimes included things such as
  spaceships, later 20th century cars, and
  satellites

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World events cont.

• The 1972 Olympic games took place, in which east
  Germany and West Germany compete as separate
  teams Hundertwasser collaborated on the poster
  for those Olympics
• In the mid 1990s There was debate on weather or
  not Austria would join the union, Hundertwasser
  was on the committee opposing Austrias admission
  
• T.V. and movies came to be popular, and
  Hundertwasser collaborated in 1972 with Peter
  Schamoni on the movie, Hundertwasser Renentag a
  movie about the old wooden vessel that he
  converted in a Venice lagoon
• He also made an appearance in 1972 on a T.V. show
  called Make a Wish, where he demonstrated
  different aspects of architecture

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Images
Uneven tiled floor inside the Kunst Haus
Church of Saint Barbara Re-designed from
1984-1988, Located in Barnbach
Ceramic Pillar outside the Kunst Haus
The 3rd skin of the Kunst Haus, Idea started in
1977-1986, construction began in 1988 and opened
in 1991
Part of Hundertwasser Housing Complex, located in
Vienna Austria, opened to tenants in 1986
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Images Cont.
Hot Springs village located in Blumau, Styria,
constructed from 1993-1997
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Images cont.
Rain Tower, constructed between 1990-1994,
located in Plochingon, a housing construction
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Images cont.
Everything is infinitely simple and so
infinitely beautiful
Motorway Restaurant, already standing,
constructed from 1989-1990, located in Bad-Fischau
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THE END
Colorfulness, variety and diversity are by all
means better than average gray.