Ernst HilgerInterview
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curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

as well as the owner and founder of Hilger modern/contemporary and Hilger BrotKunsthalle. A gallery owner and a philanthropist mediator, Hilger travels the world in search of new art while also providing a platform for established artists. He has championed the less well-known contemporary art of countries like Iran and continents such as Latin America and Africa. Hilger makes decisions on exhibiting based on his extensive knowledge of the international art market and also his on site researches in the art hotspots in the cities he visits.

Biography

Ernst Hilger was born on 28 February 1950 in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. *Elementary school, secondary school (at

Theresianum Theresianum (or Theresian Academy; german: Theresianische Akademie) is a private boarding and day school governed by the laws for public schools in Vienna, Austria. It was founded in 1746 by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. History Early h ...

, Rainergasse, Vienna) *Graduated high-school in 1968 *Studied business administration (

Vienna University of Economics and Business The Vienna University of Economics and Business (german: Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, WU) is a public research university in Vienna, Austria, the largest university focusing on business, management and economics in Europe. It has been ranked a ...

) *Began working as official for cultural and other events *Founded and managed Atlantis Folklokal, parallel to his university studies *Drew up program for the

Zentralsparkasse UniCredit Bank Austria AG, branded and widely referred to as Bank Austria, is an Austrian bank, 96.35% owned by Milan-based UniCredit. It was formed in 1991 by merger of Vienna's Länderbank and Zentralsparkasse, acquired Creditanstalt-Bankvere ...

's Youth Club *Founded the students' edition "édition étudiante" *1971: Founding shareholder of Galerie Academia/

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label= Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...

*1972: Founding shareholder of Galerie Spectrum *1974: Co-publisher of GALERIENSPIEGEL, the first Austrian art magazine, together with

Paul Kruntorad Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

; important art critics, such as Liesbeth Wächter-Böhm, for example, had their first opportunity here to publish their comprehensive art reviews; *1976: Started his own art gallery at

Dorotheergasse Dorotheergasse is a narrow lane (German: ), terminating at the Graben to the north and Augustinerstraße to the south, part of the Old Town district of Vienna, Austria. It is named for the monastery of St. Dorothea, Dorotheerkloster. Dorotheergass ...

*1977: Began to publish *Since 1996 increased promotional activities for young artists *together with Siemens Austria Founded artLab *1997: Expanded the program to

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

, with artists such as Mihael Milunovic, Maja Vukoje, Renata Poljak, etc. *1997: founding the internet-magazine for art www.artmagazine.cc *2003: opening des hilger contemporary, platform for international contemporary art *Kuratorische Leitung des Projekts Austrian Art Lounge der

Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its ...

*Präsident der FEAGA (Europ. Galerieverband) bis 1997 *2009 opening of HilgerBROTKunsthalle *HilgerBROTKunsthalle opening
(German)

Publications of Verlag Galerie Ernst Hilger about and together with

In 1976, first publication together with Manfred Chobot, and with illustrations by Alfred Hrdlicka. Next,

H. C. Artmann Hans Carl Artmann (12 June 1921 – 4 December 2000), also known as Ib Hansen, was an Austrian poet and writer, most popular for his early poems written in Viennese language, Viennese (''med ana schwoazzn dintn'', 1958), which however, ne ...

and Uwe Bremer: "die Heimholung des Hammers" (Bringing the hammer back home) Alfred Hrdlicka – Register of art works from prints and graphics to sculpture and writings, more exhibition catalogues and catalogues on various topics: Museum Moderner Kunst Passau, Frankfurter Kunstverein,

Vienna Künstlerhaus The Künstlerhaus in Vienna’s 1st district has accommodated the Künstlerhaus Vereinigung since 1868. It is located in the Ringstrassenzone in between Akademiestraße, Bösendorferstraße and Musikvereinsplatz. The building was erected betw ...

. Karl Korab – Register of graphic works, together with Dr. Walter Koschatzky (1982) and monography with Dr. Assmann and Prof. Dr. Ronte (1999). Gunter Damisch (Museum catalogue for the

Museum Folkwang Museum Folkwang is a major collection of 19th- and 20th-century art in Essen, Germany. The museum was established in 1922 by merging the Essener Kunstmuseum, which was founded in 1906, and the private Folkwang Museum of the collector and patr ...

, Essen). Franz Ringel, commissioned by the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach; Hans Staudacher (for the Museum of Art History/

Palais Harrach Palais Harrach is a Baroque palace in Vienna, Austria. It was owned by the noble Harrach family. The building was extensively renovated and restored in the late 1990s, and it houses offices and shops today. Count Ferdinand Bonaventura I von Har ...

);

Georg Eisler Georg Eisler (20 April 1928, Vienna – 15 January 1998, Vienna) was an Austrian painter from the school of Oskar Kokoschka. His father Hanns Eisler was a composer and his mother Charlotte Eisler, née Demant a well-known singer and music teacher ...

(3 catalogues and the big monography for Österreichische Galerie Oberes Belevedere, catalogue and book for

Albertina The Albertina is a museum in the Innere Stadt (First District) of Vienna, Austria. It houses one of the largest and most important print rooms in the world with approximately 65,000 drawings and approximately 1 million old master prints, as well ...

and Museum of Art History/

); Karl Korab (for the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach);

Christian Attersee Christian Ludwig Attersee (born Christian Ludwig on 28 August 1940 in Bratislava) is an Austrian artist. Biography After he had spent his youth in Upper Austria (also at the Attersee, the origin of his artist's name), Attersee began his studies ...

(for the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach); Alfred Hrdlicka (for the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach) 1998, 2002. Amor Roma, commissioned by the Museum for Modern Art, together Lorand Hegyi as author. Contemporary Art from Rome, Leo Zogmayer,

Nikolaus Moser Nikolaus Moser (; born 21 March 1990) is a former Austrian tennis player. Along with Cedrik-Marcel Stebe he won the 2008 US Open – Boys' doubles title. ATP Challenger and ITF Futures finals Singles: 8 (4–4) Doubles: 24 (15–9) J ...

(exhibition catalogue for Folkwang Museum Essen) Sebastian Weissenbacher,

Hans Fronius Hans Fronius (12 September 1903 - 21 March 1988) was an Austrian painter and illustrator. He was born in Sarajevo, which was then a territory of Austria-Hungary (now Bosnia and Hercegovina). His father was descended from an old, aristocratic Tr ...

, Adolf Frohner – among other things: Albertina catalogue.

Christian Ludwig Attersee Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ (title), Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive ...

, Oscar Bottolo (register of works) The Art of Bronze Casting – The Zöttl Studio. Etchings – The Kurt Zein Studio. Central – New Art from Central Europe, (5) Register of works by

Mel Ramos Melvin John Ramos (July 24, 1935 – October 14, 2018) was an American figurative painter, specializing most often in paintings of female nudes, whose work incorporates elements of realist and abstract art. Born in Sacramento, California, to ...

. Numerous publications for artLab – An initiative by Siemens Austria and Galerie Ernst Hilger. Publications on contemporary artists (France and Italy):

Sandro Chia Sandro Chia (born 20 April 1946) is an Italian painter and sculptor. In the late 1970s and early 1980s he was, with Francesco Clemente, Enzo Cucchi, Nicola De Maria, and Mimmo Paladino, a principal member of the Italian Neo-Expressionist mov ...

, Bruno Ceccobelli, Tirelli, Pizzi Canella and artists of Figuration Narrative –

Erró Erró (born Guðmundur Guðmundsson in 1932 in Ólafsvík, Iceland) is a visual artist and painter, who is best known for his painted pop art collages of images from comic books and advertisements.

Gérard Fromanger Gérard Fromanger (6 September 1939 – 18 June 2021) was a French visual artist. A painter who also employed collage, sculpture, photography, cinema, and lithography, he was associated with the French artistic movement of the 1960s and 1970s, ca ...

, Peter Klasen, Jacques Monory, Bernard Rancillac.

International Museums – Exhibitions and Exhibitions of Austrian Art with Publications

Surface Radical – Young Artists from Austria at Grand Palais,

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, with Lorand Hegyi as curator, 1990. Master works of Albertina at Grand Palais – Special showing at SAGA Paris, 1989. 4x4 Generations of Austrian Art, Düsseldorf, 1990, together with Dr. Lorand Hegyi, Dr. Dieter Schrage, Prof.

Peter Baum Peter Baum (born December 14, 1990) is an American professional lacrosse player. He also played for Colgate University in Division I college lacrosse. He is a member of Redwoods Lacrosse Club of the Premier Lacrosse League. Early life Born i ...

. SERVUS – 5 Artists from Austria, at Mannheimer Kunstverein, 1997. Infeld Collection 1 – 3; Portrait of a Collection, at Landesgalerie Eisenstadt. Art and Virtual Reality – The Collection of

Bank Austria UniCredit Bank Austria AG, branded and widely referred to as Bank Austria, is an Austrian bank, 96.35% owned by Milan-based UniCredit. It was formed in 1991 by merger of Vienna's Länderbank and Zentralsparkasse, acquired Creditanstalt-Bankverei ...

, Palais Harrach, 1998; Poliakoff from the Würth Collection, Künstlerhaus, Vienna, 1998. Moser, Wölzl, Zogmayer – Künstlerhaus, Vienna. Leo Zogmayer at the Museum of Modern Art/

Liechtenstein Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...

, curator Lorand Hegyi, 1990. 7 exhibitions in the course of the Bank Austria/trend-profil series of exhibitions at the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach, Österreichische Galerie Oberes Belvedere and

at the

Austrian National Library The Austrian National Library (german: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items in its various collections. The library is located in the Neue Burg Wing of the Hofburg in center of V ...

, 1997 to 2002 (Georg Eisler, Karl Korab, Franz Ringel, Christian Ludwig Attersee, Alfred Hrdlicka, Hans Staudacher). "Wagnis Wagner" (Venturing Wagner), together with Alfred Hrdilicka, Meiningen 2002. Central – New Art from Central Europe at Museumsquartier, curators Carl Aginer and Lorand Hegyi, 2001 Alfred Hrdilicak at the Museum of Art History/Palais Harrach, curator Peter Baum. Central Europe revisited I+II at Castle Esterházy/ Eisenstadt 2006/2007 tbc…

Important Positions

* Founding member of the Association of Austrian Galleries of Modern Art, together with Herbert Grass. * 1987–1993: Member of the Artistic Advisory Council of

Art Basel Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...

for

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

* 1998/1999: Member of the Bank Austria Artistic Advisory Council * Since 1996: Artistic Director and Curator of Siemens Austria Collection and Siemens Sponsoring Program for Young Art * Since 1996: Member of the Artistic Advisory Council of Wiener Kunstmesse at the Museum for Applied Arts * 1986–1998: Chairman of the Association of Austrian Galleries of Modern Art * 1998: Curator of the Festival Exhibitions, Eisenstadt * 1999: Member of the Artistic Advisory Council of the SCA Art Jury * 2003: Chairman of the Association of European Galleries of Modern Art

Galleries

* Since 1971 in Vienna * 1987–1993: outlet in Frankfurt * Since 1998: outlet in Paris to promote Austrian modern and young art * Since 1998: artLab – An initiative by Siemens Austria and Galerie Ernst Hilger * Since 2009: BROTKunsthalle

Awards and honors

* 1996 - Award by the City of Vienna * 2000 - Professor title in honor (by the cultural ministry of Austria) * 2002 - Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres * 2009 - Golden Grand-Award by the City of Vienna

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilger, Ernst 1950 births Living people 20th-century Austrian people Businesspeople from Vienna Austrian art curators Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres