LINZ.- Erwin Hauser, Vice President of the Lentos Friends Association, donated his art collection of around 3,000 works to the City of Linz and the Lentos Kunstmuseum in 2024. To mark this occasion, the Lentos is now presenting a first “best of,” showcasing key highlights of this outstanding collection with a focus on Austrian artists.


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The Erwin Hauser Collection is one of Austria’s most important private collections. It comprises paintings, sculptures, photographs, and graphic works by around 770 Austrian artists from the 19th century to the present day. With Cool. The Erwin Hauser Collection, the Lentos offers, for the first time, an in-depth look into this extraordinary trove of works, assembled by the Linz-based entrepreneur over a period of 25 years with trained discernment and great passion. Approximately 200 works from the collection, which comprises 2,994 objects in total and was entrusted to the City of Linz and the Lentos, are on display.


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Masterpieces from the 19th Century to Classical Modernism

A specially designed studiolo showcases spectacular landscapes, portraits, and genre scenes from the 19th century, including masterpieces of Biedermeier painting by Friedrich von Amerling, Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, and Johann Baptist Reiter, alongside atmospheric Impressionist works by Tina Blau, Emil Jakob Schindler, and Marie Egner. Key figures of early modernism such as Anton Romako, Karl Mediz, Emilie Mediz-Pelikan, Carl Moll, and Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach are also represented.

Interwar Period and Fantastic Realism

The Lentos exhibition brings together the stylistically diverse painting of the interwar years – including works by Klemens Brosch, Albin Egger-Lienz, and Helene Funke – with the visionary dream worlds of the Viennese Fantastic Realists such as Ernst Fuchs, Arik Brauer, Anton Lehmden, and Rudolf Hausner.

Abstraction and “Neue Wilde”

Monumental canvases of abstract painting – with artists like Martha Jungwirth, Wolfgang Hollegha, and Hans Staudacher – stand alongside key works of the Neue Wilde (New Wild Ones), a core focus of the Hauser Collection. Featured artists include Siegfried Anzinger, Gunter Damisch, and Hubert Schmalix.

Realities

In contrast to the dominant abstract painters of the time, artists such as Robert Zeppl-Sperl, Peter Pongratz, Hermann Herzig, and Franz Ringel are seen as representatives of a realism laced with satire and social critique. Their works often explore erotic, psychological, or caricatured themes. Though not united by a common aesthetic program, these artists – close friends and part of the revolutionary spirit of 1968 – frequently exhibited together with bold, large-format works until around 1975.

Sculptural Diversity

A specially staged sculpture wall showcases a broad stylistic spectrum – from early expressionist pieces to contemporary objects and humorous collages. Alongside established names like Stefan Balkenhol, Alfred Hrdlicka, and Karl Prantl, younger voices such as Alfred Haberpointner, Hans Kupelwieser, and Christian Eisenberger are also present. In the museum foyer, visitors are welcomed by Protosaurus, a sculpture made of brass instruments by Constantin Luser.

Viennese Actionism and Performance Art

A dedicated room focuses on Viennese Actionism and performance art, featuring works by Günter Brus, VALIE EXPORT, Hermann Nitsch, Klaus Rinke, and Rudolf Schwarzkogler. A special highlight: early, lesser- known works by Gottfried Helnwein.

Contemporary Art

Erwin Hauser acquired contemporary works with precision, often directly from artists’ studios or at auctions. The Lentos exhibition includes light-based works by Brigitte Kowanz and figurative reinterpretations by Elke Krystufek, Martin Schnur, and Christian Eisenberger – a testament to the collection’s openness toward new artistic expressions.

A Space for Contemporary Women Artists

A dedicated gallery space highlights the stylistic and thematic diversity of female perspectives in contemporary art. Geometric abstraction, delicate drawings, political sharpness, and media experimentation stand side by side. Featured artists include Xenia Hausner, Johanna Kandl, Zenita Komad, Ulrike Lienbacher, and Eva Schlegel. In total, the collection includes works by around 80 women artists, whose contributions will feature more prominently in the planned reinstallation of the Lentos permanent exhibition starting in 2026.

A Milestone for the Lentos

In 2024, Erwin Hauser – a successful entrepreneur in the field of innovative cooling technologies – donated the majority of his private art collection to the City of Linz, partly as a permanent loan and partly as a bequest upon his death. The City of Linz has entrusted the collection, valued at approximately €16.5 million, to the Lentos. This marks the most significant expansion in the museum’s history – and in that of its predecessor, the Neue Galerie – since the 1953 acquisition of 109 works from the Wolfgang Gurlitt Collection. The Hauser Collection currently remains in its original depot, now leased by the City of Linz.

What makes the collection particularly remarkable is its breadth: it offers not only an extensive overview of Austrian art history, but also multiple phases of individual artists’ careers. Moreover, the entire Hauser Collection is accessible online via the museum’s website.

A Gift for the Future

With the exhibition Cool. The Erwin Hauser Collection, the Lentos pays tribute to one of Austria’s most distinguished private collections and to the extraordinary dedication of a collector who chose to share his passion for art with the public – as a gift to the City of Linz and as a lasting contribution to the Lentos' future. The exhibition runs through October 5 at the Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz.


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