Exhibitions in Prague and Vienna present the work of Rudolf Steiner

The DOX contemporary art center in Prague and the Museum of Applied and Contemporary Art MAK in Vienna present the work of Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner and his influence on contemporary art. While the Vienna MAK will offer the most comprehensive retrospective of this significant thinker of the 20th century to date, the Prague center DOX will introduce Steiner's philosophy through the work of contemporary European artists.
     The work of Rudolf Steiner, Austrian philosopher, literary critic, educator, founder of anthroposophy, Waldorf education, biodynamic agriculture, and a new artistic form - eurythmy, has inspired significant artistic personalities in the past, such as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian. Steiner's philosophy is reflected in the artistic creation of numerous contemporary artists, currently showcased in the exhibition "Rudolf Steiner and Contemporary Art" at the DOX center.
     The Vienna Museum of Applied and Contemporary Art MAK has prepared an exhibition "Rudolf Steiner - Die Alchemie des Alltags" ("Rudolf Steiner - The Alchemy of Everyday Life") on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of Rudolf Steiner's birth. The exhibition, conceived by the Vitra Design Museum in collaboration with Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg and Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, maps Steiner's diverse activities through archival documents, original furniture, original drawings and plans, posters, and architectural models.
     A total of 200 exhibits are on display, including Steiner's correspondence with Else Lasker-Schüler, Franz Kafka, Piet Mondrian, and Richard Neutra. The highlight of the exhibition is a monumental model known as Goetheanum, as well as two polygonal color chambers designed by Steiner in 1913 and reconstructed specifically for this exhibition. Visitors have the opportunity to enter these chambers.
     According to the current head of MAK, Martina Kandeler-Fritsch, the exhibition allows for an unbiased view of Steiner's multifaceted work and demonstrates his impulses for contemporary art, architecture, and design. The exhibition also features the work of 13 other artists, architects, and designers, such as Olafur Eliasson, Herzog & de Meuron, Konstantin Grcic, Jerszy Seymour, and others.

Rudolf Steiner is considered one of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the 20th century. As a philosopher, architect, sociologist, humanist, and founder of anthroposophy, a spiritual science that strives to connect the insights of modern science with questions of the spiritual world, his work has impacted a wide range of fields from philosophy to pedagogy and medicine. Among his most notable achievements is the establishment of a network of Waldorf schools. From 1879 to 1890, Steiner lived and worked in Vienna, and during his lecture activities, he spent several periods from 1906 to 1924 in Prague, where he met, among others, Albert Einstein, Max Brod, and Franz Kafka.

---

"Rudolf Steiner and Contemporary Art"
(June 16 - September 12, 2011)

DOX Contemporary Art Center
Poupětova 1, 170 00, Prague 7
Mon 10-18, Tue closed, Wed-Fri 11-19, Sat-Sun 10-18
www.dox.cz


"Rudolf Steiner - Die Alchemie des Alltags"
("Rudolf Steiner - The Alchemy of Everyday Life")
(June 22 - September 25, 2011)

MAK
Stubenring 5, Vienna 1
Wed - Sun 10-18, Tue (MAK NITE) 10-24, Mon closed
www.mak.at

Accompanying Program
> http://mak.at/e/jetzt/f_jetzt_b_rudolf_steiner_e.htm

Catalog: A catalog titled "RUDOLF STEINER - Die Alchemie des Alltags" has also been published in conjunction with the exhibition. The catalog was edited by Mateo Kries and Alexander von Vegesack, supplemented with a foreword by Martina Kandeler-Fritsch, German edition, 338 pages, Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein 2011, € 45
It is available at the MAK Design Shop.

Curators: Mateo Kries, director of the Vitra Design Museum, Thomas Geisler, MAK