Austrian Sculpture Park English „The garden is the last luxury of our age, because it calls for what has become most precious in our society: time, attention and space.“ Dieter Kienast, designer of the landscape architecture at the Austrian Sculpture Park Austrian Sculpture Park Thalerhofstr. 85, 8141 Unterpremstätten Office address: Marienplatz 1, A- 8020 Graz T +43–316/8017–9704 T +43-699/1500 5794
[email protected] www.skulpturenpark.at www.museum-joanneum.at The History of the Austrian Sculpture Park The origins of the Austrian Sculpture Park can be traced back to the ambitious aspirations of Emil Breisach. The former director of the ORF regional studio in Styria wanted to establish a venue dedicated to con- temporary sculpture outside of museums, and so in 1981 began to show works of art in the grounds of the ORF studio. This then evolved into the idea of positioning Austrian sculpture within an international context while opening up a space of encounter for viewers. In 2000, the prominent Swiss landscape architect Dieter Kienast created a seven-hectare area as a setting for the International Garden Show, situated just seven kilometres to the south of Graz. Following the show, it became clear that this landscaped site offered the ideal location for an extensive sculpture park. The Austrian Sculpture Park Private Foundation was set up in coopera- tion with the construction group PORR GmbH and the Province of Styria. With a concept devised by Peter Weibel, the basis for an international sculpture park was developed and then presented to the general public in 2003.