-
The
house of artists is a small building on top of a hill next to the Wienerwald
(Vienna Woods), approximately 12 miles North of Vienna, Austria. The House belongs to the community of Maria Gugging, Klosterneuburg. Since 1981 it has been housing the Gugging Artists, people who have gained a worldwide reputation due to the high quality of their drawings, paintings, writings and objects. They count among the most important representatives in the artistic field of
→ Art Brut. Presently the House gives home to 9 residents, 7 of which are artistically active.
Due to the chronic psychiatric illnesses and mental disabilities of its inhabitants, the House is structured as a social care centre. The responsible body is the
Association Friends of the Gugging House of Artists (Freunde des Hauses der Künstler in Gugging).
There is a prior
history, to the
House of Artists, going back to the 1950s. The many years of work in and around the House resulted in the creation of the
Art / Brut Centre Gugging. Today, the
House of Artists forms a part of this cultural centre.
- Entrance with Wallpaintings
by August Walla
Their work allows the Artists to follow a successful profession. The honing of their capabilities, the open respect for their work, careful therapeutic and active social care and support provide the residents with a base of possibilities. This allows them to enjoy a socially `normal´ life as far as each of them considers important.
Thus the House has now become a symbol of social-therapeutic contents – this approach differs clearly from Leo NAVRATIL’s art-therapeutic orientation.
