Austrian Embassy Organizes Unique Exhibition for Art Lovers in Sarajevo

The Austrian Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition "25 Works of Contemporary Visual Art from Austria", and the exhibition of photographs by Erich Lessing, at the Art Gallery of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zelenih beretki 8, in Sarajevo, on Thursday, April 21, 2016, at 7:00 PM. The exhibition will be opened by Austrian Ambassador Martin Pammer, Minister of Culture and Sports of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zora Dujmović, and Director of the Art Gallery of BiH, Strajo Krsmanović.

The exhibition "25 Works by Artists of Contemporary Visual Art from Austria" features original works created between 1945 and 2015, including works by Max Weiler, Adolf Frohner, Oswald Oberhuber, Josef Mikl, Jürgen Messensee, and others. They are part of the collection of Thomas Eichler, curated by Prof. Wolfgang Bandion.

The exhibition "25 Works of Contemporary Visual Art from Austria, Attitudes – Recommendations from the Eichler Collection", which has already been held in Banja Luka, will also be exhibited in two more cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo and Mostar. The exhibition will present a small and distinctive overview of visual art from Austria after 1945.

"Austria after 1945" is the title of the exhibition by award-winning photographer Erich Lessing. Lessing was born in 1923 in Vienna. Before completing his education, due to Hitler's occupation of Austria, he emigrated to Israel, where he began to seriously pursue photography. Upon his return to Austria in 1947, he started working for Associated Press and joined Magnum Photos, a world-renowned association of photographers. From 1947 onwards, he documented political events in post-war Europe, especially in former communist countries, working for Associated Press, Paris Match, Picture Post, EPOCA, and Quick Magazine.

Special thanks are due to the sponsors from the Austrian economy/business sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria: Wiener Osiguranje Vienna Insurance Group, Strabag, Tondach/Winerberger/Pipelife, VAMED, and freight forwarders Sobolak and AGS, without whose support this exhibition could not have been held.