This photo may not represent the actual event · Photo by Wolfgang Hollegha · Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
This photo may not represent the actual event · Photo by Wolfgang Hollegha · Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Wolfgang Hollegha: Don’t Think, Look!
Admission
0–14€
Date & Time
Sun, Mar 15 – Sun, Oct 25
Group
Tags
Opening Hours
Standard opening times may vary around public holidays and special events.
Organiser
Museum Reinhard Ernst gGmbH
About this event
The first major German presentation of Austrian painter Wolfgang Hollegha’s work fills the Museum Reinhard Ernst with luminous, large-scale colour. Hollegha withdrew from the New York art world in 1962 to a farmhouse in the Styrian hills, spending six decades transforming what he saw in nature into dense, radiant canvases. The exhibition traces that long arc, from early experiments to monumental later works in which a single surface can hold an entire spectrum of colour. The Reinhard Ernst permanent collection reunites Hollegha with his American peers of the early 1960s – artists such as Helen Frankenthaler and Morris Louis – making visible both the shared spirit and Hollegha’s independent path. The supporting programme is extensive: curator-led tours, a monthly mindfulness-focused evening (Wonderful Wednesday), a family day with short tours and an artist talk, a pop-up performance by the Graz Boys’ Choir, and a seven-part film series at the Caligari cinema. The films range from post-war Vienna to New York artist portraits and Austrian literary adaptations, mapping the cultural landscapes that shaped Hollegha’s vision. Families with primary-school children can pick up the free Moby audio guide (a Toniebox hunt) that turns an abstract art visit into a playful treasure trail.
Schedule
Wed, Mar 4
06:00 PM
Lecture: Spaces of Confidence – Community Building as the Key to Post-Tsunami Architecture
Talk by architectural critic Ulf Meyer, followed by a conversation with Reinhard Ernst, moderated by Eva Authried.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Wed, Mar 25
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (March)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator exploring Hollegha's working process and key works.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Apr 7
07:00 PM
Film: Die Halbzarte (The Half-Tender)
Rolf Thiele's 1958/59 portrait of a bohemian Viennese family, with an introduction by Eva Authried. 90 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sat, Apr 11
06:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Short night of galleries and museums Wiesbaden
The museum stays open until midnight with free admission for the city-wide gallery and museum night.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, May 12
07:00 PM
Film: 1. April 2000
A 1952 Austrian sci-fi satire by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, re-imagining Vienna's post-war identity. 105 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sun, May 17
11:00 AM - 05:00 PM
International Museum Day @ mre
Free short guided tours for families, mre walk-ins through the foyer, and an artist talk with Michael Anthony Müller about his new commissioned work.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Wed, May 20
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (May)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator examining Hollegha's dense colour compositions.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Jun 2
07:00 PM
Film: New York Stories (OV)
Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese's 1989 Manhattan triptych. Scorsese's episode follows an abstract painter. 124 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sat, Jun 6
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Pop-up performance: Graz Boy’s Choir
A lunch-time choral interlude by the Graz Boys' Choir inside the museum foyer, included in admission.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Sun, Jun 28
02:00 PM
Guided tour with Daniel Hollegha & conversation
A tour through the exhibition with the artist's son, followed by a public conversation in the Maki Forum.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Jul 7
07:00 PM
Film: Ein ganzes Leben (A Whole Life)
Hans Steinbichler's 2023 adaptation of Robert Seethaler's novel about a quiet life in the Alps. 115 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Tue, Aug 4
07:00 PM
Film: Der siebente Kontinent (The Seventh Continent)
Michael Haneke's 1989 debut feature, a chilling study of a middle-class Austrian family. 104 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Tue, Sep 1
07:00 PM
Film: Die Wand (The Wall)
Julian Pölsler's 2012 adaptation of Marlen Haushofer's novel about a woman cut off from the world by an invisible wall. 108 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Wed, Sep 9
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
mre Wonderful Wednesday (September)
A mindfulness-based guided tour learning to take in Hollegha’s colour spectacles with all senses. 60 minutes.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Oct 6
07:00 PM
Film: Painters Painting. The New York Art Scene 1940–1970
Emile de Antonio's 1972 documentary on Abstract Expressionism, with a closing introduction by curator Lea Schäfer.
Caligari FilmBühne
Wed, Oct 7
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (October)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator offering a final look at the show before it closes.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Wed, Mar 4
06:00 PM
Lecture: Spaces of Confidence – Community Building as the Key to Post-Tsunami Architecture
Talk by architectural critic Ulf Meyer, followed by a conversation with Reinhard Ernst, moderated by Eva Authried.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Wed, Mar 25
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (March)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator exploring Hollegha's working process and key works.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Apr 7
07:00 PM
Film: Die Halbzarte (The Half-Tender)
Rolf Thiele's 1958/59 portrait of a bohemian Viennese family, with an introduction by Eva Authried. 90 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sat, Apr 11
06:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Short night of galleries and museums Wiesbaden
The museum stays open until midnight with free admission for the city-wide gallery and museum night.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, May 12
07:00 PM
Film: 1. April 2000
A 1952 Austrian sci-fi satire by Wolfgang Liebeneiner, re-imagining Vienna's post-war identity. 105 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sun, May 17
11:00 AM - 05:00 PM
International Museum Day @ mre
Free short guided tours for families, mre walk-ins through the foyer, and an artist talk with Michael Anthony Müller about his new commissioned work.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Wed, May 20
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (May)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator examining Hollegha's dense colour compositions.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Jun 2
07:00 PM
Film: New York Stories (OV)
Woody Allen, Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese's 1989 Manhattan triptych. Scorsese's episode follows an abstract painter. 124 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Sat, Jun 6
12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Pop-up performance: Graz Boy’s Choir
A lunch-time choral interlude by the Graz Boys' Choir inside the museum foyer, included in admission.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Sun, Jun 28
02:00 PM
Guided tour with Daniel Hollegha & conversation
A tour through the exhibition with the artist's son, followed by a public conversation in the Maki Forum.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Jul 7
07:00 PM
Film: Ein ganzes Leben (A Whole Life)
Hans Steinbichler's 2023 adaptation of Robert Seethaler's novel about a quiet life in the Alps. 115 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Tue, Aug 4
07:00 PM
Film: Der siebente Kontinent (The Seventh Continent)
Michael Haneke's 1989 debut feature, a chilling study of a middle-class Austrian family. 104 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Tue, Sep 1
07:00 PM
Film: Die Wand (The Wall)
Julian Pölsler's 2012 adaptation of Marlen Haushofer's novel about a woman cut off from the world by an invisible wall. 108 min.
Caligari FilmBühne
Wed, Sep 9
05:00 PM - 06:00 PM
mre Wonderful Wednesday (September)
A mindfulness-based guided tour learning to take in Hollegha’s colour spectacles with all senses. 60 minutes.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Tue, Oct 6
07:00 PM
Film: Painters Painting. The New York Art Scene 1940–1970
Emile de Antonio's 1972 documentary on Abstract Expressionism, with a closing introduction by curator Lea Schäfer.
Caligari FilmBühne
Wed, Oct 7
05:00 PM
Guided tour with curator Lea Schäfer (October)
60-minute tour with the exhibition curator offering a final look at the show before it closes.
Museum Reinhard Ernst
Location
Map data from OpenStreetMap
