While sitting on my living room couch reading the latest issue of Art & Antiques, I had one of those serendipitous moments: Turning to page 86, I see a feature article on the Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000) written by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh. What made this so special to me was that I got to look up from the pages of the magazine and admire Laura's and my own Hundertwasser painting hanging on our living room wall. For those of you new to the work of Hundertwasser, here are a couple of excerpts from the article:
By refusing to adhere to established art-world mores and eschewing traditional design rules, Friedensreich Hundertwasser developed an enduring eccentric style that he applied to painting, architecture and philosophy.
He wore a uniform of studiously mismatched socks, quirky hats, and patched and handmade trousers and shirts – assuming it wasn’t and occasion when he simply eschewed clothing altogether. He railed against straight lines – calling them "the work of the devil" – embraced exuberant color and rebuffed critics to champion art’s potential for mass appeal. His moniker was a carefully considered nom de plume. By the time of his death in 2000, Friedensreich Hundertwasser was known as an eccentric and brilliant modernist artist, architect, environmentalist and philosopher: a man lambasted by the critics as he was embraced by the public.
Laura and I are terribly proud to own a little slice of Hundertwasser’s work – and we are even more proud to see him get a recognition here in 2008. He was a remarkable artist who lived a remarkable life.
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