Hundertwasser in New Zealand Exhibition 1973-2000

Hundertwasser Art Centre presents Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s artistic legacy in New Zealand between 1973-2000, in an exhibition of artworks curated by the Hundertwasser Non-Profit Foundation in Vienna.

Hundertwasser in New Zealand 1973 – 2000 includes paintings, original graphic art, tapestries, architecture projects, and Ecology.The Exhibition celebrates Friedensreich Hundertwasser, his life and legacy in New Zealand. This is the largest exhibition of original Hundertwasser artwork outside of Vienna.

The exhibition includes original paintings, graphic works, tapestries, applied art, original posters and architectural models and a film about Hundertwasser's sailing ship The Regentag.

A guided tour offers a multifaceted art experience, a magical voyage into the land of uniqueness, where nature and man meet in creation, a journey into the land of creative architecture, beauty in harmony with nature and individual creativity

Visitors will also enjoy the unique architecture including the largest afforested roof in the Southern Hemisphere, a theatre showing the ‘Regentag’ film, Activity Centre and MuseumShop

The Hundertwasser Art Centre is also home to Wairau Maori Art Gallery, the only dedicated public art gallery for Contemporary Maori Art in New Zealand and the World.

If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery join a guided tour or book a private tour. Experience Hundertwasser’s art and architecture as you discover the Hundertwasser Art Centre with our expert guides. Immerse yourself in Hundertwasser’s art, life, legacy and ecological vision.

Hundertwasser’s paintings are instantly recognisable, due to his idiosyncratic, energetic style and his exuberant, visionary use of colour. Although he was influenced as a young man by the Jugendstil, particularly the works of his fellow Austrian Egon Schiele, Hundertwasser moved beyond these modernist beginnings to develop a unique visual language of his own, as well as a repertoire of motifs that connect his painting to his personal philosophy. Hundertwasser rejected the modernist drive towards essentialism and simplification of forms in favour of a maximalist approach that celebrates baroque, decorative intricacy. Typical subjects include biomorphic, fantastic cityscapes, faces, ships, landscapes, trees and water, often in the form of rain or teardrops. Non-representational motifs such as spirals, concentric circles or stripes occur throughout the work, as do organic, deliberately imperfect checkerboard patterns that playfully manifest the artist’s disdain for grids, right angles and mechanically straight lines.

Technically, Hundertwasser’s painted output is highly accessible and democratic in nature. His artmaking practice was something he carried with him on his travels, and was seldom confined to a studio environment. Early in his career, Hundertwasser often worked on found materials such as paper or cardboard, rather than traditional canvases, reflecting his resourcefulness and an interest in the aesthetic qualities of unconventional materials. He made use of a wide range of media, including watercolours, charcoal, chalk, egg tempera, oil paint, shellac and gold leaf. This emphasis on spontaneity and fluid approach to materials parallels Hundertwasser’s desire to see art and architecture liberated from the academic confines of the studio and reintegrated into the fabric of the everyday. He also expressed an admiration for the art of children, which he viewed as an authentic expression of the creative impulse, freed from the shackles of cultural orthodoxy.