forum metal

In 1977 Linz captured attention far beyond the borders of Austria with an "artistic drum roll": in the Danube Park, at the same time as the opening of the fourth Bruckner Festival, the forum metall presented large format metal sculptures by contemporary, internationally renowned artists.

Linz: Industrial Location and Rising Art Metropolis

Three years after the building of the Linz concert house, the Brucknerhaus, the forum metall set another important step in the development from industrial city to city of culture. On 12 September 1977 the first open air museum was opened in the Linz Danube Park, presenting a representative cross-section of abstract sculpture from the sixties and seventies for the first time. The forum metall also provided a broad insight into the possibilities that iron, steel and aluminum offer sculptors.

A New Type of Event

The concept, organization and artistic direction of forum metall were the responsibility of Helmuth Gsöllpointner, then rector of the Art University Linz and professor of the Masterclass Metal, and Peter Baum, the former director of the New Gallery of the City of Linz. With forum metall the organizers purposely left the beaten paths of conventional exhibition practice. At the same time, the choice of metal as material highlighted the importance of this material for the "steel city" of Linz. A perfect cooperation between art and commerce made it possible to realize this incomparable open air ensemble of modern art.

The Who's Who of the Sculptural Elite

Internationally renowned sculptural artists from seven countries were invited to the forum metall. All the sculptures were conceived especially for Linz according to their plans, with their cooperation, and partly even with their supervision of the creation. It was initially planned for the sculptures to be installed for at least two years. Thanks to the spontaneous cooperation on the part of the participating artists, many of the sculptures became permanent loans.

"Super Coup in Linz" (Die Zeit)

The broad media response to the forum metall surpassed all expectation. No exhibition of modern art had ever aroused so much interest from the media and the public before. In this way, forum metall succeeded in focusing international attention on Linz as a rising art metropolis.

forum metall: Artists and Art Works

Herbert Bayer, Fountain Sculpture (1977)
Max Bill, Pavilion Sculpture III (1977)
Amadeo Gabino, Hommage à Anton Bruckner (1998)
Mathias Goeritz, The Snake – La Serpiente (1986)
Erwin Heerich, Untitled (1977)
Piotr Kowalski, Thermocouple (1977)
Eduardo Paolozzi, Hommage à Anton Bruckner (1977)
David Rabinowitch, Ellipse in 10 Parts (1974-77)
Erwin Reiter, Current (1977)
Günther Uecker, Table of Expulsion (1977)

Former art works of the forum metall

Haus-Rucker-Co, Nike of Samothrace (1977)
Donald Judd, Four Boxes (1977)
Bernhard Luginbühl, Linzer Atlas (1977)
Klaus Rinke, Two Vertical Axes Meeting at the Center of the Earth (1977)