Friedensreich Hundertwasser: A wild and crazy career

"The rigid, straight line is fundamentally alien to humanity, life and the whole of creation". Friedensreich Hundertwasser

Hundertwasser applied this philosophy not only to the famous Viennese buildings for which he was renowned, but all the media and art-forms he has experimented with during his wild and crazy career. Whether it be painting, sculpture, performance art or designing a kindergarten, Hundertwasser's works are multi-coloured, organic, and shot through with a sense of the magical or fantastic.

However, there are principles operating behind these joyful bursts of gold and silver. Hundertwasser's art has always contained a political shade. He has consistently rebelled against rationalist or determinist ideas, promoted ecological awareness, and mantained a passionate belief in the anarchy of the imagination.

In this awesome retrospective, Pierre Restany covers all the bases of Hundertwasser's eclectic development as an artist, from the tenant revolt and nude lecture of the early Seventies, through the housing projects in Vienna, right up to his designs for an alternative society.

About the Series:
Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Art Series features:

a detailed chronological summary of the artist's life and work, covering the cultural and historical importance of the artist
approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions
a concise biography