Kunstforum Vienna: Existence after the end of rental - what happens now?

Kunstforum Vienna: Existence after the end of rental - what happens now?

The Bank Austria Art Forum in Vienna faces a dramatic end. In view of the bankruptcy of the Signa Holding, the future of the estimated cultural institution is threatened. Unicredit Bank Austria has already explained that it has to rethink her cultural sponsorship. The art forum, which is housed in a palace of the insolvent Signa Prime, rely on the support of the company for many years, which acted as the largest sponsor. The bank made it clear that the failure of sponsorship has economic consequences that could make further operation of the art forum impossible. "For a future -oriented continued operation, additional high investments are also necessary that cannot be implemented under the given conditions," a representative of the bank told Krone .

The Gauguin exhibition is currently running until January 19, and the art forum has already planned an exciting program for 2025, including significant exhibitions by star photographer Anton Corbijn and the performance artist Marina Abramovic. However, the fate of the cultural institution hangs in the suspension, since the rental contract expires at the end of the year and so far no agreement has been reached. The Bank Austria confirms that it continues to negotiate with Signa about the conditions of the rental agreement, but the conditions have become difficult, so Kurier .

The board of the art forum, in which prominent personalities such as Heinz Fischer and Helga Rabl-Stadler are sitting, a petition to Federal President Alexander van der Bellen is already planning to work for a transitional regulation. Previously, the art forum had caused a sensation with exhibitions of "big names" such as Frida Kahlo and Gerhard Richter and thus also focused on younger artists. A move to another, less prominent location was already feared in 2010 - at that time a new contract with Signa could be negotiated. Now everyone is wondering whether the important exhibitions in the art forum can be realized according to the Gauguin exhibition or whether they have to be canceled.