{"id":45094,"date":"2022-04-16T05:35:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-16T04:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=45094"},"modified":"2025-03-08T15:04:17","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T14:04:17","slug":"stefan-edlis-exhibition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/stefan-edlis-exhibition\/","title":{"rendered":"Stefan Edlis exhibition"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlissmall1.jpg\" alt=\"Edlis exhibition poster\" class=\"wp-image-45665\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlissmall1.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlissmall1-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>One theme at the Jewish Museum is the almost phoenix-like triumph of individuals after tyrannical adversity. Stefan Edlis fled Nazi Europe as a teenager to eventually become one of the USA&#8217;s great philanthropists and art collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Exhibition traces the Edlis life story<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central feature is Maurizio Cattelan&#8217;s <em>HIM<\/em> sculpture<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Runs Apr 13 &#8211; Oct 2, 2022<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Current <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/jewish-museum\/\">Jewish Museum visitor info<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Current &amp; future <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/#history\">history exhibitions<\/a> in Vienna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">(Un)Pleasant Journey<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"345\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlis.jpg\" alt=\"Stefan Edlis as a race driver \u00a9 private collection of Gael Neeson\" class=\"wp-image-45093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlis.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/edlis-300x207.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Stefan Edlis as a racing driver \u00a9 private collection of Gael Neeson)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After escaping Europe in 1941 aged just 16, Stefan Edlis (1925-2019) went on to find refuge in the USA and, together with his wife Gael Neeson, become one of the country&#8217;s great collectors of contemporary art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The one-room <em>(Un)Pleasant Journey. The Life of Stefan Edlis after HIM<\/em> exhibition traces this Vienna-born philanthropist&#8217;s colourful biography, which included service in the US military on the Pacific front during WWII and founding the Apollo Plastics Corporation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Business success allowed Edlis and Neeson to build an impressive art collection and become notable supporters of Chicago&#8217;s art institutions. Works by such names as Sherman, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Koons, Hirst, and Richter have all passed through the couple&#8217;s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Madeline Grynsztejn, director of Chicago&#8217;s Museum of Contemporary Art, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.artnews.com\/feature\/who-is-stefan-edlis-collector-1234588227\/\">describes<\/a> the collection as one\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2026where you will never see a B-grade piece by an A-grade artist.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Display boards around the walls map out Edlis&#8217;s journey, while the room itself focuses on a rather special exhibit&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">After HIM?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For the first time ever in Austria, the <em>HIM<\/em> piece by Maurizio Cattelan is on display: a largely wax-based sculpture of a kneeling and praying Hitler worth an 8 figure dollar sum and part of the Edlis collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No spoilers, but be sure to view the sculpture first from the far side of the room and then from the side on the left of the entrance for the full impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cattelan and Edlis were friends: text and video explains the latter&#8217;s interest in the work, which might raise eyebrows given the collector&#8217;s personal history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>HIM<\/em> is certainly no stranger to controversy. At its sale, Christie&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.christies.com\/features\/Maurizio-Cattelan-on-the-nature-of-evil-7306-3.aspx\">presented<\/a> it as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u2026one of the most shocking and disquieting works of art to have emerged in the post-war era<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Even Cattelan himself noted in the same article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>I wanted to destroy it myself. I changed my mind a thousand times, every day<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The renowned Italian artist is no stranger to Vienna. Cattelan&#8217;s <em>Turisti<\/em> installation filled the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/winter-palace\/theseus-temple\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"16982\">Theseus Temple<\/a> here back in 2019, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"tickets\">Dates, tickets &amp; tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>View <em>HIM<\/em> and follow the story of Stefan Edlis from April 13th to October 2nd, 2022. A ticket for the Jewish Museum also includes the temporary special exhibitions at both its sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;re looking to view more art of the kind that sparked Edlis&#8217;s interest, then browse the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/entertainment\/events\/exhibitions\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"37363\">listings<\/a> for current contemporary art exhibitions at the major museums. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/ai-weiwei-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"44051\">Ai Weiwei retrospective<\/a> at the Albertina Modern, for example, runs until September 4th, 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alternatively, take a peek at this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/contemporary-art\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"25652\">overview<\/a> of contemporary art in Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Edlis exhibition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Check the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/jewish-museum\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"1591\">Jewish Museum article<\/a> for directions to the main Dorotheergasse site. The Edlis exhibition occupies the smaller exhibition room one floor up from the entrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rooms opposite trace the story of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/viennese-rothschilds-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"40000\">Viennese Rothschilds<\/a> during the initial weeks of the exhibition (until June 5th, 2022) and then explore sexuality in Judaism through the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/museums\/love-me-kosher-exhibition\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"48365\">Love me Kosher exhibition<\/a> (from June 22nd, 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Address: Dorotheergasse 11, 1010 Vienna<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><figure><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1kuTU0C-76Mhn7ArHvQRPPPNUQ_y5QnDH\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One theme at the Jewish Museum is the almost phoenix-like triumph of individuals after tyrannical adversity. Stefan Edlis fled Nazi Europe as a teenager to eventually become one of the USA&#8217;s great philanthropists and art collectors. (Un)Pleasant Journey (Stefan Edlis as a racing driver \u00a9 private collection of Gael Neeson) After escaping Europe in 1941 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":45665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-museums","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45094"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45094\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81088,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45094\/revisions\/81088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}