Internationale Malerwochen in Styria
1966–92 (part of steirischer herbst 1967–82)

One of the event series subsumed under the title steirischer herbst in the late 1960s was Internationale Malerwochen (International Painting Weeks). This series was initiated in 1966 by the Neue Galerie Graz under the direction of Wilfried Skreiner. The following year, steirischer herbst incorporated this event into its program, and it remained a fixed element in the festival until 1982.

Internationale Malerwochen emerged from the trinational trigon biennial and accordingly adapted its guiding principles. The concept of trigon, developed by the cultural policy maker Hanns Koren, was born from the desire to unite the artistic endeavors of Italy, Yugoslavia, and Austria in one shared cultural region based on the historical territory known as “Inner Austria.” While the trigon biennial became more and more interdisciplinary, Internationale Malerwochen continued to focus on painting.

Internationale Malerwochen brought together artists from the trigon countries—and later Hungary as well—for an artist residency in Styria. For several weeks, spent at Schloss Retzhof near Leibnitz or, starting in 1983, at the Cistercian monastery Rein Abbey, they produced the works that were then shown the same year at the Neue Galerie during steirischer herbst. Some of the artworks were also included in exhibitions that traveled to the artists’ home countries. One work per artist always remained in the possession of the Neue Galerie Graz.

Internationale Malerwochen, along with other exhibitions mounted by municipal galleries, formed a continuum in steirischer herbst’s visual arts program until 1982. The series offered young and aspiring artists a good opportunity to present their works to a broad audience but was increasingly overshadowed by the abundance of exhibitions by other institutions. As of 1983, the series was no longer listed in the festival program.

The Neue Galerie, however, continued to organize Internationale Malerwochen until 1992. At that point the concept was altered, and Internationale Malerwochen became an artist-in-residence program.

Further Reading

Alexandra Foitl, “Internationale Malerwochen in der Steiermark,” in Styrian Window: Bildende Kunst in der Steiermark, 1970–1995, ed. Christa Steinle and Alexandra Foitl (Graz: Droschl, 1996), pp. 228‒29.

“Internationale Malerwochen in der Steiermark,” Neue Galerie Graz, https://www.museum-joanneum.at/neue-galerie-graz/ausstellungen/internationale-malerwochen, accessed 1 August, 2021.