Roman heritage
TheDrau Valley was once home to Tyrol's only Roman city. The town ofAguntum, which flourished under Emperor Claudius, is now an archaeological park that invites visitors to immerse themselves in the life of the wealthy in the first century AD. Here, everything testifies to the affluence of the inhabitants of this site, located near precious natural resources. The discovery continues at the Dölsach Museum. In addition to everyday objects, the artistic qualities of the mosaics, frescoes and sculptures testify to the opulence of the population.
Archaeological collections are also housed in the Bruck Castle Museum in Lienz and the Tyrolean regional museum, the Ferdinandeum Museum, founded in the 19th century. The first floor covers prehistory, the Roman period and the early Middle Ages.
Tyrolean Sacred Art
Pilgrimages began to develop throughout the Christian world as early as the 3rd century. From the 10th century onwards, the South Tyrol, at the crossroads of Italy and Germany, became a popular destination. Built in 950, the Benedictine monastery of St. Georgenberg is the oldest in Tyrol. Renamed Fiecht Abbey (dated 1741 in its current form), it has been a place of devotion since the 11th century. Its museum houses artefacts and manuscripts dating back to the 8th century. The Baroque church features a pietà from 1415 and the reliquary of the Holy Blood.
Sculpture is an ancient tradition in the region's culture. Hans Klocker, born in Bressanone and active in South Tyrol in the 15th century, is one of the most representative masters of this period. To train himself, he combined knowledge from neighboring countries. In his workshop, he introduced his pupils to sculpture, particularly the technique of the ronde bosse on polychromed limewood.
His contemporary Michael Pacher (1435-1498) exercised his talent in painting. Hailed as one of the masters of Austrian pictorial art, Pacher assimilated Nordic traditions and the teachings of the Italian Renaissance, in the tradition of Bellini and Mantegna. He established his painting and sculpture studio in Brunico, known as the most prolific of his time. His altarpieces and frescoes adorn numerous buildings in Germany and Austria. These include the Saint Lawrence altarpiece in the San Lorenzo church near Brunico; the Gres altarpiece in Bolzano, depicting the Coronation of Mary; the altarpiece in St. Wolfgang's church in Sankt Wolfgang im Salzkammergut (Upper Austria); and theNovacella abbey. His frescoes include the Four Fathers of the Church on the sacristy ceiling of the church in Neustift (Bressanone).
The Augustinian Museum in Rattenberg is housed in the magnificent Augustinian Monastery. The history of Tyrol since the 14th century is traced through its sacred art. Gothic statues, accessories and liturgical objects evoke both folk and Baroque art in a superb scenography.
Classicism and Baroque
In Austria, the long academic period spanning several centuries was represented in painting by Daniel Gran (1694-1757) and in sculpture by Georg Raphael Donner. The simplicity of reading and the codes of classicism triumphed. Gran's masterpiece remains the fresco on the dome of the Imperial Library in Vienna. The influence of masters such as Troger and then Maulbertsch slowly steered the Viennese school away from Gran's model.
The sculptor Georg Raphael Donner (1693-1743) developed a Baroque style inspired by nature and antiquity. He was one of the artists who rebelled against pictorial norms. In 2002, he was chosen to decorate collector's coins.
Paint
Tyrol is home to one of the world's longest frescoes. Presented at 360 degrees, its theme is the Battle of Independence fought on August 13, 1809 against Napoleon's army. The Tirol Panorama in Innsbruck is the work of painter Michael Zeno Diemer (1867-1939) and history master Franz von Defregger (1835-1921). The highlight of a visit to the Imperial Hunters' Museum, it unfolds before a breathtaking mountain panorama. Its tormented scenes synthesize the fundamental elements of Tyrolean culture: mountains, religion and the fight for freedom.
Tyrol has been the birthplace of many Austrian and Italian painters, some of whom put the mountains at the heart of their work. Even today, the region is very active artistically, and many artists are present in the area. Among the painters who put the romanticism of the mountains at the heart of their art are Eduard Tenschert (1912-2003), who tirelessly painted Tyrolean landscapes, and Alfons Walde (1891-1958), whose Cubist influence is evident in his famous portraits of skiers, which can be admired in the town museum (Museum Kitzbühel), Rudolf Preuss (1951), author of a famous view of Innsbruck under the snow, or more recently Martin Töchterle, active for over 25 years and glorifying the region's natural beauty.
Contemporary art
In the last third of the 20th century, a number of Tyrolean personalities turned their attention to world cultures. They were led by photographer, film-maker and journalist Gert Chesi, born in Schwaz in 1940. He started out as a photographer for the local press, and from an early age fought against nationalist thinking. He made a name for himself in the late 1970s with the publication of the photographic collection Last Africans. At the same time, he denounced the conditions under which girls were educated in the Tyrol. In 1995, he founded a museum of tribal arts in his hometown. Chesi, who lives between Togo and Austria, is constantly building intercultural bridges. To this end, in 1995 he initiated the Maison des Peuples in Schwaz. The collection is the fruit of decades of travels across Africa and Asia. The diversity of creation is highlighted here.
There is little urban art to report, but a number of art galleries and festivals are keeping the current dynamism alive. At the end of October, the main cultural players meet at the Art Innsbruck contemporary art fair. Around 100 exhibitors present art from the 19th century to the present day. The Galerie Mathias Mayr in Innsbruck, for example, showcases a wide range of local and international contemporary artists.
