NEW IN THE INFELD COLLECTION

The Infeld Cultural Centre in Dobrinj, on the island of Krk, Croatia, is one of the most important exhibition venues for contemporary art in Croatia. The current collection show provides an in-depth and surprising insight into the diverse holdings of Croatian, Austrian and international art. Around 100 works by 30 artists are on display. 

The exhibition highlights the special features of the collection and facilitates interesting and unusual dialogues between the works. Thematic brackets are dedicated to relevant aspects of contemporary art such as colour rush, natural landscape, facial representation. The selection now on display provides a comprehensive insight into the works of well-known artists acquired in recent years. 

The exhibition places a special focus on the work of the Croatian artist Boris Bucan (1947-2023). Painter and graphic designer, he created posters that are considered a model for this genre worldwide. The Museum of Modern Art in New York has several works by Boris Bucan in its collection. His works have been exhibited worldwide, including in London (Victoria & Albert Museum, Tate Modern), Venice, Shanghai, Melbourne and Copenhagen.

Another accent of the exhibition are Anton Lehmden’s works (Viennese School of  Fantastic Realism), whose brushes create dreamlike landscapes, and Wolfgang Hutter, whose meticulous working method produced the lithography cycle "Tattoos" (1965). 

Vienna-born Walter Schmögner (1943) is a loner in the world of art. With meticulous attention to detail, he explores the realm of the bizarre through his drawings. His work is remarkably diverse and far-reaching. Schmögner depicts his intellectual universe with an unmistakable, quivering stroke.

Also from Austria is Tone Fink (1944). Energetic and imaginative, he is a visual lateral thinker. His works do not reproduce anything obvious, but make the unseen obvious, seduce with their mysteriousness and leave the viewer speechlessly confused.

On display are works by Art Brut artists such as Bronislava Dubner (Russia) and the Austrian Franz Janz (1946-2017) - a waiter, horse breeder, calendar autodidact, actionist and student of Hermann Nitsch. "Franz Janz has developed his own style. He is unmistakable. I have a close relationship to his painting. I am interested in what is not said and what cannot be explained in the same way, where a person puts his soul into it," said Peter Infeld (1942-2009) in 2003. He promoted and collected Franz Janz. In his attempt to classify Franz Janz in terms of art history, Peter Infeld filtered out his proximity to Art Brut, to the "painters of the pure heart" (Wilhelm Uhde).

In its associative compilation, the selection of works conveys much of the unique character of the Infeld Collection and allows visitors to immerse themselves in wonderful artistic and sounding worlds. Musical instruments from the collection such as classical and electric guitars, violin, viola and violoncello complement the exhibition. The related lute instruments tamburizza (Croatia), balalaika (Russia), mandolin (Italy) and bandurria (Spain) are an accent. These originally come from the region of former Persia (today Iran), where the ancient Assyrians already possessed a similar instrument 5000 years ago. Another plucked instrument, the banjo, developed by West African slaves and then shipped to the New World, enters into dialogue with the other instruments and rounds off the musical journey.

The Infeld Collection 

Peter Infeld (1942-2009) and his mother Margaretha Infeld (1904-1994) began to collect art in the mid-1960s. 

The Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, naive art from Croatia, Pop Art, Buddhist meditation paintings from Tibet (so-called "Thangkas") and Art Brut are the main focus of the Infeld collection. In order to make the works accessible to a broader public, patron of arts Peter Infeld has built representative cultural centers in Halbturn in Burgenland and in the idyllic village of Dobrinj on the Croatian island of Krk. In total, more than 120 exhibitions were held free of charge at both locations.

The company Thomastik-Infeld GmbH

The traditional Viennese company Thomastik-Infeld is one of the three most important string producers worldwide. The company produces around 3000 different strings and is the world market leader in some areas. The strings have been handmade.
Founded in 1919, the company had 20 employees after the Second World War. To date, this number has increased tenfold. Exports go to more than 95 countries. Following the death of Peter Infeld in 2009, his widow, Croatian-born Zdenka Infeld, continues the family's long business and art collecting tradition.

Exhibition dates
Duration: The exhibition "New in the Infeld Collection” can be seen from July 9 to September 30, 2023.
Venue: Infeld Cultural Center, Dobrinj, Island of Krk, Croatia
Opening hours:           July and August - daily 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
September – daily 10 a.m. to 1. p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Free admission
Works: Approx. 120 oil and acrylic paintings, drawings and music instruments.

Artists: Robert Auer, Mersad Berber, Josef Bramer, Boris Bucan, Josip Crnobori, Salvador Dali, Bronislava Dubner, Tone (Anton) Fink, Wolfgang Hutter, Horst Janssen, Franz Janz, Gabriel Jurkic, Vasilije Jordan, Nives Kauric Kurtovic, Zeljko Kipke, Karl Korab, Hans Krenn, Anton Lehmden, Bruno Mascarelli, Ismar Mujezinovic, Greta Pecnik, Kurt Regschek, Franz Ringel, Petar Sain, Walter Schmögner, De Es (Dieter) Schwertberger, Vilko Seferov, Josip Vanista, Mladen Veza

Inquiries:
Dr. Yordanka Weiss
Kuratorin der Sammlung Infeld
Mobil: + 43 664 465 66 66
Tel.: + 43 1 545 80 46
Email: [email protected]
www.infeld.net