Born in Weyer in 1953, the painter, graphic artist and sculptor Siegfried Anzinger is one of the founders of the "Neue Wilde". From 1971 to 1977 he studied at the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts under Maximilian Melcher. In 1981 the artist moved to Cologne and took part in the documenta 7 in Kassel in the following year. In 1988 he exhibited in the Austrian Pavillion at the Venice Biennale. In 1998 Anzinger was appointed professor of painting at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Siegfried Anzinger's works are characterised by a certain lightness and immediacy. The application of paint appears quick and spontaneous and leaves the impression of a non-finito. This impression is underpinned by the fact that Anzinger keeps adding new layers of paint to his paintings, ultimately resulting in up to twenty layers. Thematically, the artist deals with basic existential problems such as love, sexuality, pain, loneliness, fear and death. In 2003, Anzinger received the Austrian State Prize for Fine Arts.
Literature
Siegfried Anzinger, "Wer einmal liebt, dem glaubt man nicht", Graz, Neue Galerie am Landesmuseum Joanneum 1986; W. Schmied (ed.), "Malerei in Österreich. 1945-1995. Die Sammlung Essl", 1996; W. Schmied (ed.), "Geschichte der bildenden Kunst in Österreich. 20. Jahrhundert", vol. 6, 2002; Exhib.-cat. Collection Essl, "Anzinger. Lebschik", 2002