Nike from Linz

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Nike of Linz is a once controversial replica of the ancient goddess of victory Nike of Samothrace , mounted at the Art University in Linz . As early as the 1970s, the sculpture adorned an art university building, caused the largest art scandal in Upper Austria and was removed after two years.

Nike at the Linz Art University in Domgasse.

Origin and appearance

Nike von Linz was manufactured in 1977 by the architects and artists group Haus-Rucker-Co as part of forum metall , a project that was to combine culture and industry in Linz by means of metal sculptures in public spaces. A total of 14 international artists took part.

As part of the project, Haus-Rucker-Co enlarged an image of the antique Nike of Samothrace to 7.5 meters and had the reproduction transferred to the United Metalworks in Ranshofen-Berndorf on two mirror-inverted, silvery shimmering aluminum panels. The two panels were attached at an angle to each other like wings protruding from a body. On August 27, 1977, the headless large-scale sculpture was the forerunner of forum metall on an upwardly sloping 8 m long steel grid tube girder - modeled on the speaker's platform designed by El Lissitzky for Lenin - on the roof of the bridgehead building (West, Hauptplatz 8 ) of the Linz Art University. The 500 kilogram Nike sculpture was thus also a signal for the then new Linz Art School.

"Scandal Angel"

Nike von Linz quickly became a sensation at forum metall . However, their modern design and prominent placement above Linz's main square divided the public. While artists and young Linzers in particular approved of Nike , many citizens were also outraged by the large-scale sculpture. Numerous opponents expressed themselves in letters to the editor and surveys, describing the sculpture as a “disfigurement of the main square”, “(unfinished) shredded bird” or “bat”. In addition, they accused those responsible of wasting money and wishing for a less central placement of the large sculpture. ÖVP municipal councilors asked the social democratic mayor of Linz, Franz Hillinger , to have the 250,000 Schilling sculpture removed (53,000 euros). After such protests from politics, the media and the population, the large sculpture was dismantled at the end of 1979 after 27 months "in a night-and-fog operation". Some Nike advocates, such as the Austrian sculptor, action artist and graphic artist Heinz Baumüller , who had previously publicly campaigned for Nike to remain in Linz with a circular to artists worldwide or an art campaign at the Taubenmarkt, found out about the planned dismantling early on were on site during the implementation. A fireworks display planned by Baumüller's group to draw attention to the dismantling was barely prevented.

After the dismantling, Nike was brought from Linz to Germany . There it should originally have been exhibited in the Deutsches Architekturmuseum , but was stored in a depot in Frankfurt am Main . Berlin and Karlsruhe were interested in the statue, and Weyer wanted the Nike as a loan piece for the music summer there - in vain. Nike von Linz remained in storage at the building yard of the city of Frankfurt until their return to Upper Austria.

Return to Linz

As early as 2014 there was speculation about the return of the angel of scandal to Linz. Two years later, the large sculpture was brought back to Upper Austria on the occasion of the Other Angels exhibition in the Höhenrausch art project in Linz . The industrial climbing company Höhenwerkstatt installed the Nike , which weighs around 2.5 tons with steel girders , on the Ursuline Church , 35 meters above the Linzer Landstrasse , at the end of April . At the end of the exhibition, Nike was relocated back to the - meanwhile relocated - Linz Art University. Since October 21, 2016 her location has been at Domgasse 1.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b NIKE is coming back to the Art University Linz. Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  2. ^ OÖ Kulturquartier: Höhenrausch 2016 - Other Angels. Accessed April 21, 2019 (German).
  3. ↑ a b Forum Metall - fair. Accessed April 21, 2019 (German).
  4. ^ A b City of Linz: Linz, Culture, Cultural Landmarks, NIKE. Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b nextroom architecture on the net: architecture and art. Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  6. ↑ forum stahl, forum metal and forum design | City in happiness. Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  7. ↑ Angel beings at the Linzer Höhenrausch. May 20, 2016, accessed May 1, 2019 .
  8. ^ Upper Austrian news: Nike - street survey OÖN . Linz August 30, 1977, p. 7 .
  9. ↑ The Nike: Once an excitement, today just a nice angel. Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  10. ↑ "Monkey Art" and "Cultural Dictatorship". Retrieved April 21, 2019 .
  11. ↑ a b OK Labor - Art in the City! Thomas Macho talks to Martin Hochleitner | dorftv.at. May 25, 2016, accessed July 6, 2019 .
  12. ↑ a b c 35 years of “Nike von Linz”. February 25, 2014, accessed May 1, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Nike of Samothrace (plastic) - LinzWiki. Accessed May 1, 2019 .
  14. ↑ OÖN text archive, April 30, 1987 (ID: ooen / j1987 / q2 / m04 / t30 / s020 / 814_001.dcs)
  15. ↑ LOMO NIKE CYCLE. Accessed May 1, 2019 .
  16. ↑ In 2015 the “Fetzenvogel” will return to Linz. Retrieved May 12, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Angel beings at the Linzer Höhenrausch. May 20, 2016, accessed May 12, 2019 .
  18. ↑ The return of the "shredded bird". Retrieved May 12, 2019 .

Coordinates: 48 ° 18 ′ 22 "  N , 14 ° 17 ′ 21.4"  E