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Images of the sculptures in the Austrian Sculpture Park

Located seven kilometers south of Graz, the Austrian Sculpture Park has established itself as a center for contemporary sculpture since its founding in 2003. The fascinating park designed by landscape architect Dieter Kienast covers an area of around seven hectares and is a space for more than 80 sculptures to unfold. Works by renowned Austrian artists - from Fritz Wotruba and Franz West to Erwin Wurm, Heimo Zobernig and Michael Kienzer - communicate here with examples of international sculpture, for example by Jeppe Hein, Nancy Rubins, Tobias Rehberger and Susana Solano.

More information about the Sculpture Park
Weitwikliges Panoramabild mit Blick auf die Skulptur "Die Erdkugel als Koffer" und "Sole d'acciaio".

Image Credits

Images

Elisabeth Fiedler, Head of the department "Art in Public Space"

Universalmuseum Joanneum / J.J. Kucek

Herbert Boeckl, Atlantis, 1940-1944

Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/Markus Enzinger

The bronze sculpture "Atlantis" stands in a part of the Pheasant Garden. Boeckl's sculpture is reminiscent of a sketch from 1935.

Hans Aeschbacher, Figure II, 1955

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

The granite sculpture "Figure II" on the stairway to heaven in the Fasangarten.

Gerhardt Moswitzer, Skulptur, 1961

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

Gerhard Moswitzer's metal sculpture stands on a patch of grass in the Alpine Garden. In the background you can see other sculptures in a blur.

Joannis Avramidis, Figure III, 1963

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

The sculpture "Figure III" stands at the foot of the artificial stairway to heaven. A small section of its own in the Pheasant Garden.

Heinz Leinfellner, Large dormant, 1964/65

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

The stone sculpture "Large dormant" at the foot of the stairway to heaven in the Pheasant Garden.

Fritz Wotruba, Large figure for Lucerne, 1966/67

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Nicolas Lackner © Belvedere, Wien

A dark metall sculpture in the Pheasant Garden.

Josef Pillhofer, Hammurabi, 1970

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Nicolas Lackner

Bronze cast of a sandstone sculpture of irregular geometric shapes. The title refers to the ancient Babylonian relief of the Codex Hammurabi.

Bryan Hunt, Charioteer, 1982

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

Bronze sculpture on a concrete base that impressively reproduces a solidified waterfall.

Fritz Hartlauer, Vertical extract from the primal cell, 1982/84,

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

Marianne Maderna, Approaching Figure, 1984

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

Metal sculpture consisting of two "legs" that flow into each other at the upper end. The artist creates an abstract human sculpture by omitting all elements that are not directly relevant to the desired expression

Oskar Höfinger, Now, 1986

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

The sculpture "Now" is a double-angled steel rail at the top of a slope. It represents a timeline or a diagram of personal development and points to changes in direction.

Tony Long, Natalexos, 1987

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien 2024

The steel sculpture, which weighs several tons, is ten meters long, two and a half meters wide and one and a half meters high. The work can be read as a relic of an archaic culture as well as a find from the archaeology of the industrial age.

Erwin Wurm, Bunker, 1987

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

Two metal buckets with their hollow sides fixed to a red metal plate are the basic elements of this sculpture. In the object status of the world of objects, buckets normally stand on the floor. Wurm changes the form of presentation by opening up the base plate and changing the perspective from a floor sculpture to a wall sculpture.

Christoph Lissy, Figure with ennclosed stone elements, 1988

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The center of the sculpture is formed by the two vertical and horizontal beams on which the construction rests. The forms appear to be in a finely balanced equilibrium and radiate a certain lightness despite the heaviness of the material. The work gains its concrete meaning by comparing the individual components of the sculpture with generally known objects.

Oswald Oberhuber, Basket, 1989

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

A vertical concrete slab with metal rods that form a basket.

Ilija Šoškić, Sun of Steel, 1989

Jürgen Kriendlhofer

Sole d'acciaio, "sun of steel", is what the artist calls this sculpture. It is an arrangement of 30 curved steel rays around a flint dome. The resulting shapes look like heavy petals in a warm rust red, which change their appearance depending on the incidence of light.

Ingeborg Strobl, Untitled, 1989/90

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

Two gravestones made of smooth stone. The inscription on the first: "Be patient". The inscription on the second: "With your own shadow" [inscriptions are translated from German].

Carmen Perrin, Untitled, 1990

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

Oxidized structural steel lattice whose struts are interwoven like branches or wood to form a regular "grid".

Tom Carr, Open, 1991

Andrew Bush

"Open" is a gigantic combination of two identical tubular steel structures. Seen from the front, the work stretches out its wings and invites you to climb up.

Christa Sommerer, Phyllologia, 1991

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The sculpture is a vertical yellow metal plate with three leaf-shaped cut-outs.

Franz Pichler, Untitled, 1991/92

Andrew Bush

The sculpture is a large walk-in structure made of pink painted metal. The ground plan is square, with an "entrance" on each side.

Lois Weinberger, Wall, 1992

Andrew Bush

Concrete base with medium-sized stone blocks arranged to form a "wall". You can walk past the "wall" on the sides.

Franz West / Otto Zitko, Who is Who, 1992

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The two-part sculpture made of bent and green-painted metal struts resembles two stools in shape and rests on a concrete base.

Erwin Bohatsch, Wall, 1992

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N.Lackner

The sculpture by the painter Bohatsch is a vertical, smooth concrete slab with "drops" of concrete hanging down. These resemble fingers and are intended to simulate the paint slowly creeping across the canvas.

Manfred Erjautz, The Silent Cell, 1992/94

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Markus Enzinger

Erjautz constructs his sculpture as a building or tent made of white lines that have become metal, derived from computer bar codes.

Michael Kienzer, Untitled, 1992/94

Universalmuseum Joanneum

Kienzer's sculpture made of coiled copper tubing rises above the hilltop like a giant bird's nest. The object thus looks like a mirror image or inverted continuation of the hill. The material also refers to the eternal cycle of change in nature, in that it changes itself through oxidation and becomes part of nature.

Karin Hazelwander, Perambulator, 1993

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The "walking machine" by Karin Hazelwander consists of five winged elements in different shades of gray. It looks as if it could start moving at any time. The hole in each element shifts from the upper edge of the first curve to the lower edge of the fifth and last, suggesting an imaginary movement.

Sabina Hörtner, Untitled, 1993

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The sculpture consists of colored metal struts and stands on a plinth. Four colored metal modules overlap and network differently depending on the viewing angle.

Franz Xaver Ölzant, Fu and the beautiful Mandarin, 1993

Dieter Leitner

Ölzant's sculpture Fu and the beautiful Mandarin consists of two rectangular granite slabs joined together at right angles.

Richard Fleissner, Body part hurdles, 1994

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The sculpture consists of a large, dark gray, semi-circular figure and has pockets or compartments with a slightly sagging base. These are attached to a kind of wheel that faces the viewer like an uncomfortable ladder. The reference to the body is derived from the perception of the object as an obstacle.

Othmar Krenn, Partial sheathing, 1995

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

A large quarry stone from a quarry was partially welded into a steel casing using a technically complex process.

Martin Schnur, Untitled, 1995

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

The sculpture is an oversized picture frame that frames reality. The surroundings behind it, which change with the seasons, become a picture themselves.

Susana Solano, Adjustment to the vacuum, 1995/1996

Universalmuseum Joanneum, C. Pötsch

The three-part work consists of three open cylinders on a slope. Empty space can be experienced through the transparent grid structures, the hollow spaces of the cylinders themselves and the spaces between the objects.

Bruno Gironcoli, Untitled, 1995/96

Universalmuseum Joanneum/Markus Enzinger

The sculpture is oversized, copper-colored and stands on a flat base. It stands on four feet and has mechanical and biological elements that give this object a lively feel.

Rudi Molacek, Rose, 1999

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The aluminum sculpture represents an oversized rose petal. The sculptures are placed in four different colors in public places, parks and gardens.

Erwin Wurm, Fat Car, 2000/2001

Andrew Bush

Wurm gives a real car a plastic coating with the addition of polyester, thereby changing a form that is very familiar to us through exaggerated volume. The now immobile means of transportation seems to melt away, so to speak, and we encounter it as a grotesque yet lovable monster.

Jeppe Hein, Did I miss something, Exemplar 1/3, 2002

Andrew Bush

If you take a seat on the bench selected as the trigger, a water fountain develops in the middle of the water lily pond, towering above the treetops. The viewer thus becomes an essential part of the sculpture, which is necessary to make the work of art visible in the first place and, with a time delay, also audible.

Hans Kupelwieser, Gonflable 6, 2002

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The metal sculpture takes its shape when specially welded, thin aluminum sheets are inflated under extreme air pressure. This gives the heavy material a dynamic lightness. The result is always different and the surface structures formed are largely subject to chance.

Heinz Gappmayr, NOT YET VISIBLE - NO LONGER VISIBLE, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Markus Enzinger

White lettering on a black background inside the wall of the sculpture park with the inscription "Nicht mehr sichtbar" [no longer visible]. On the other side of the wall on the grounds of the Schwarzl leisure center is the counterpart with the inscription "Noch nicht sichtbar" [not yet visible].

Hans Kupelwieser, Bathroom, 1995/2003

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

A steel plate with cut-out shapes is embedded in the way on a slope. The cut-outs are standardized symbols for elements in wet rooms. A human silhouette is also recognizable in Kupelwieser's bathroom.

Matt Mullican, Untitled, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The five parts of this work are made of concrete and resemble archive boxes or typesetting boxes that thematize the reduced character of virtual models.

Michael Pinter, SUB/DC, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, C. Pötsch,

A former steel water silo (11 m long, 4 m in diameter) was reinterpreted by media artist and musician Pinter. It forms the basic structure of this sculpture. Eight integrated bass loudspeakers transform the silo into a musical instrument. The low frequency ranges generate pressure waves that make the sound not only audible but also physically tangible.

Nancy Rubins, Airplane Parts & Hills, 2003

Dieter Leitner

View of the sculpture "Airplane Parts & Hills" by Nancy Rubins from the edge of the path. A large sculpture made from airplane parts.

Jörg Schlick, Made in Italy, 2003

Andrew Bush

7 m high and 4 m wide, the sculpture grows out of a hill and thus appears to form a similar connection with the park as the surrounding trees. The scientific starting point for the sculpture is the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2001, in which the 3.2 billion base pairs of human DNA were decoded. Schlick replaces the four building blocks of the genome with cheaply produced tiles from Italy in four different colors.

Michael Schuster, Concrete boat, 2003

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2023

A concrete sculpture in the shape of a real boat appears to float on the hilly landscape o f the sculpture park.

Hartmut Skerbisch, 3D Fraktal 03/H/dd, 2003

Andrew Bush

The sculpture is an ingenious construction in which five further cubes grow from one cube. The seemingly technical title refers to the year of creation, the shape (hexahedron) and the design. The cubes are reduced in size by a factor of 0.44902, and the proportions follow the golden ratio, creating a particularly harmonious effect.

Thomas Stimm, Terranian Platform, 2003

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The sculpture is a platform with the inscription "TERRA MY TERRA/PLANET SO SWEET/I CAN FEEL YOU/UNDER MY FEET". [inscriptions translated from german]

Heimo Zobernig, Untitled, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Markus Enzinger

A "pillar" made of precast concrete elements in the entrance area of the sculpture park. The sculpture is deliberately not elaborately or beautifully designed. This keeps the attention on the material itself and allows a clear view of the world.

Tobias Pils, Zog den Helfer unterm Teppich hervor, 2004

Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/N. Lackner

Auf einem Hügel zwischen zwei Wegen stehen zwei Spiegel auf Stangen. Durch ihre ständige Drehung im Wind geben sie stetig anderes wieder. Das sich in ihnen Spiegelnde symbolisiert einen Blick in zwei unterschiedliche Welten. Für die Momente, in denen sich die Spiegel ineinander spiegeln, entsteht eine Verbindung dieser beiden Welten.

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Tobias Rehberger, Antisocial daughter, 2004

Tobias Rehberger, Bildrecht Wien

The sculpture "Antisocial daughter" stands as an abstract and reduced tree form between mixed forest trees and within the undergrowth and bushes of a clearing.

Werner Reiterer, gestures, 2003/04

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

In the middle of the sculpture park, behind the Berggartencafé. A large inflating ball that implodes with a bang and collapses is one of our youngest visitors' favorite works.

Gustav Troger, Sample: Victory over the sun, the art of mocking nature, 2004

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

In the alpine garden of the sculpture park there is a diagonally rising concrete wall. It has small pieces of mirror on the underside. The environment is refracted by the sunlight in the shards.

Peter Weibel, The globe as a suitcase, 2004

Johanna Lamprecht

An oversized suitcase handle is positioned on the edge of one of the largest earth pyramids in the sculpture park.

Markus Wilfling, -3m board, 2004

David Auner

An upside-down diving board with an upside-down ladder at a depth of three meters.

EVA & ADELE, watermusic, 2003/04

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

A small pink detached house stands by the water lily pond next to the Berggartencafé. Accessible via a footbridge, three projections can be viewed inside.

Yoko Ono, Painting to Hammer a Nail In /Cross Version, 2005

Universalmuseum Joanneum, B. Bauernfeind

Three large crosses stand in the sculpture park. The possibility of hammering in a nail makes the artwork interactive.

Hartmut Skerbisch, Sphere 315, 2005

Universalmuseum Joanneum, M. Wimler

A sphere made of six metal circles rises from an earth pyramid above the water lily pond. It is one four-millionth of the earth.

Matta Wagnest, Labyrinth, 2005

Michael Schuster, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

A glass labyrinth by Matta Wagnest stands in the Pheasant Garden and provides interesting perspectives from inside and outside.

Peter Sandbichler, Tiger Stealth, 2009

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

The sculpture in the shape of a stealth ship rests on the meadow. It is covered with beige-colored panels and cannot be detected by radar due to its shape.

Giuseppe Uncini, Unità Cellulare, 1967/2008

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

A room made of round metal tubes, in which walls and objects are only outlines. The shadow lines are supplemented by angular steel tubes.

Martin Walde, Siamese Shadow, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

Sails mounted on tilting poles rise up at the rear of the pheasant garden. They move in the wind.

Timm Ulrichs, Dancing Trees, 1997/2010

Roland Schmidt, Bildrecht Wien 2024

There are 3 small birch trees next to the entrance to the park. They rotate at regular intervals and seem to dance with each other.

Mario Terzic, Ark made of living trees, 2010/2011

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

There is an ark made of living trees in the Berggarten. The 25-metre-long wooden scaffolding has served as a temporary support for plant growth for more than a decade. The wooden scaffolding was removed in 2024.

Wolfgang Becksteiner, Shift of Value, 2010

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

The sculpture denies access to 999 ingots made of the finest concrete. The neatly stacked ingots are surrounded by a grid.

Hans Hollein, The golden Calf, 2011

Universalmuseum Joanneum, P. Gspandl-Pataki

A golden tank wagon for transporting liquids such as mineral oil is decorated with a horizontal euro currency sign, which transforms the figure into a horned idol. It is located in front of the parking lot outside the park grounds and is the first sculpture that invites you to visit.

Mandla Reuter, Untitled, 2013

Universalmuseum Joanneum, JJ Kucek

A white Carrara marble block lies on the edge of the roof of the Berggarten café. It is supported by a tree trunk that at first glance seems out of place.

Manfred Wakolbinger, Placement (Giardini), 2012; Bildrecht, Wien 2024

Foto: Universalmuseum Joanneum/Peter Gspandl-Pataki

Ursprünglich computergenerierte Skulptur, die aus Metall gefertigt wurde. Sie abgerundet geformt und liegt auf einem Sockel aus Beton, der aus einem abfallenden Hang hervorsteht.

Peter Kogler, Untitled, 2014

Universalmuseum Joanneum, JJ Kucek

On an island by the lotus flower pond, a construction made of sheet steel circles a tree trunk located there. A place to linger.

Class of Tobias Rehberger, Städelschule Frankfurt, Artist in Residence 2014, In Then Out, 2014

Universalmuseum Joanneum, JJ Kucek

Several large steel brackets protruding from the ground. Originally, these were covered with foil, as can be seen in the picture. The construction is reworked every year by a school class or group of students.

Bernhard Leitner, Aspen Dome, 2015

Stefanie Baumann

Eric Kläring/Heimo Zobernig, Untitled (Projekt space/Platform), 2013/16

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Elisabeth Fiedler

A room without walls consists only of a floor slab. Created as part of a project at the Kunsthaus Graz, it now serves as a platform for other artists in the sculpture park.

Plamen Dejanoff, Pour féliciter, pour féliciter, pour féliciter, plamen, 2015

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

Large letters P and F with a lower case "plamen" at the top of the F. The letters are a reference to the lettering on the title page of an issue of the former Czechoslovakian magazine for literature, art and life plamen (German: Flamme) from 1965. At the same time, Plamen is the first name of the Austrian-Bulgarian artist.

Erwin Wurm, Fat House, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Birgit Bauernfeind

A swollen detached house that thematizes wealth and consumption.

Gunter Damisch, DichteDichter II, 1991/2013

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

Dark cast on a stone base; abstract shapes with no front or back

Martin Gostner, Apparat für Park [Apparatus for park], 1991/2019

Martin Gostner, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

The work consists of oversized white cones made of absorbent cotton hanging high in the branches.

Suchart Wannaset, Our Garden Fence, 2018

Suchart Wannaset, Bildrecht Wien, 2024

An oversized garden fence that incorporates the surroundings outside the sculpture park. The roof of a typical detached house protrudes from behind the wall of the park, appearing strangely small, almost sunken, due to the oversized fence.

Chris Burden, Beehive Bunker, 2003

Universalmuseum Joanneum, Peter Gspandl-Pataki

A concrete bunker in the shape of a beehive or warhead with three vertical openings. These resemble embrasures. There is a metal hatch at the top.

Judith Fegerl, sunset, 2021

Universalmuseum Joanneum, JJ Kucek

A sculpture made of photovoltaic peneels of various ages.

Christoph Weber, sechs komma vier [six point four], 2021

Christoph Weber, Bildrecht Wien, 2023

Six concrete stones in a row, modeled on the original limestone. Next to it, at the same distance, a 0.4-fold version of one of the stones.

Boris Podrecca, EU & YOU, Object on the occasion of the 2004 enlargement of the European Union, 2004

Universalmuseum Joanneum, N. Lackner

Positioned in front of the entrance to the Austrian Sculpture Park, the freestanding, twisted sculpture looks very imposing. It depicts the layout of Austria and the four new neighboring countries.

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