Story By: Victoria Lyndon, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
Three bronze sculptures by famous Austrian artist Gottfried Kumpf based on the king penguins at the world’s oldest zoo will be exhibited in Vienna next month.
From 7th November until the end of the year, art lovers and keen collectors can see Kumpf’s latest series of sculptures at the Dorotheum Gallery in the north-western Austrian capital Vienna.
Kumpf is an Austrian artist known for his ‘naive’ paintings and sculptures which depict landscapes or animals, such as cats, bears and scorpions.
The 88-year-old’s latest sculptures are based on the king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) that reside at Vienna’s Schonbrunn Zoo, the oldest operating zoo in the world.
Kumpf, who was inspired by how children interact with the zoo’s penguins, called the enchanting series ‘Penguin with the Young’.
He said: “For a long time, collectors have been asking again and again if one year there might be a penguin. This year, the time has arrived for the protected, caring breeding of the penguins to be expressed in the form of a bronze statue. It has a special charm for me.”
Dorotheum head of trade Karin Saey said: “There is a longstanding relationship between Gottfried Kumpf and the Dorotheum House. We are especially looking forward to this year’s exhibition, due to the long-awaited triple addition to the ensemble of Kumpf sculptures.
“Lots of penguin species are threatened. The impact of climate change on the king penguins cannot yet be estimated. This prompted us to sponsor these animals at Schonbrunn Zoo to raise awareness of this problem.”
According to reports, Kumpf’s exhibition will also include selected oil paintings, gouaches and drawings.
Born in 1930, Kumpf lives in Breitenbrunn in Burgenland. Since 2004, the artist has designed more than 40 sculptures exclusively for the Dorotheum Gallery, varying from humorous bronzes like Harlequin and Harlequina, to the 12 star signs of the zodiac.
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