Contemporary Art Collection

The installation "Zero & Not" by the American conceptual artist Joseph Kosuth was realized in 1989 on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Sigmund Freud's death. The artist's continual occupation with Sigmund Freud's theories manifested itself in this work. Together with Peter Pakesch, Joseph Kosuth was then able to convince a number of artist colleagues to each donate one work to the Sigmund Freud Museum. The goal of this initiative was to confront a scientific institution with contemporary art. With gifts from John Baldessari, Pierpaolo Calzolari, Georg Herold, Jenny Holzer, Ilya Kabakov and Franz West, the Sigmund Freud Museum initiated a noteworthy effort to bring together contemporary art and psychoanalysis.

At the initiative of Sigmund Freud Museum Director Inge Scholz-Strasser, Peter Pakesch, and Joseph Kosuth, the existing collection was expanded in 1997. The artists Clegg & Guttmann, Jessica Diamond, Marc Goethals, Sherrie Levine, Haim Steinbach and Heimo Zobernig each added one of their works to the collection. Under the name The Sigmund Freud Museum Contemporary Art Collection" (former: Foundation for the Arts, Sigmund Freud Museum Vienna), the expanded collection was presented to the public. Since then it has been on view in varying arrangements in the museum's rooms.

In 2008, the Museum shows works from the art collection in the former storefront in which Siegmund Kornmehl operated his kosher butcher shop until 1938. At the beginning, Franz West’s “Liège” is on display, the other pieces are:
Heimo Zobernig: untitled (June-August)
John Baldessari: “Study for a red Intruder (blue)” (September – November)
Pierpaolo Calzolair: “Avido” (December 08 – February 09)

The Sigmund Freud Museum uses its shop window to show pieces from its Contemporary Art Collection crossing the threshold of a museum. In the course of the last years, the storefront was used for the series “A View from outside” and “A View from outside – continued”. The presentation is accompanied by a series of freecards, developed in co-operation with echo medienhaus.

The Sigmund Freud Museum Contemporary Art Collection International

The Art Collection from the Sigmund Freud Museum is on display worldwide

2007

Moscow

February 22 - May 21, 2007, Stella Art Skariatinskiy
An Exhibition of the Sigmund Freud Foundation in cooperation with the Stella Art Foundation
Web: Stella Art Foundation

Istanbul

January 12 – January 31, 2007, Yapi Kredi Kültür Merkezi
An Exhibition of the Sigmund Freud Foundation in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum Istanbul and Yapi Kredi
Web: Yapi Kredi Cultural Centre

2006

New York

April 25 - June 8, 2006, Austrian Cultural Forum New York
An Exhibition of the Sigmund Freud Foundation in cooperation with the Austrian Cultural Forum New York
Web: Austrian Cultural Forum New York