AUSTRIA AUTHOR · EXHIBITIONS · BIOGRAPHY
Wieland Schmied
Friedrich Stowasser (15 December 1928 – 19 February 2000), better known by his pseudonym Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser (Austrian German: [ˈfriːdn̩sraɪç ˈreːɡn̩taːɡ ˈdʊŋkl̩bʊnt ˈhʊndɐtˌvasɐ]), was an Austrian visual artist, architect and activist. Hundertwasser stood out as an opponent of "a straight line" and any standardisation, expressing this concept in the field of building design. He was also a vocal environmentalist who integrated nature in his architectural designs. His best known work is the Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, which has become a notable place of interest in the Austrian capital, characterised by imaginative vitality and uniqueness. He also designed KunstHausWien, an art gallery which houses a permanent collection of his works, and dozens of other buildings.
Ezra Pound has been called the flaming Savonarola of modern poetry.
— from Ezra Pound, 1967
Most acclaimed
Ezra Pound
1967
"John Tytell's work offers an interpretive study that confronts the emotional truths and psychological drama that formed this complex and controversial American poet. It presents an exploration into the mind and vision of a man who galvanized a generation and challenged an entire literary - and world - establishment. Although he enjoyed little fame in his lifetime, Pound's notoriety and influence were enormous, as he arrogantly slashed away at convention and almost single-handedly brought about the twentieth-century revolution in poetry known as modernism. Ultimately, outrage and scandal turned his art to madness, and Pound's last years saw him fall tragically silent."--BOOK JACKET.
Francis Bacon
1974
The portrait Bowen paints of this controversial man, Francis Bacon (1561-1626), balances the outward life and actions of Bacon with the seemingly contradictory aspects of his refined philosophical reflections. As Lord Chancellor of England, Bacon was impeached by Parliament for taking bribes in office, convicted, and banished from London and the law courts. In a prayer Bacon composed during the interval following his punishment, he reveals that the dichotomy of his existence was no more deeply felt than by himself, and he readily admits that his obligations to society were not as suited to his nature as the study of philosophy, science, and law. Modern scholars hold Bacon's philosophical works, Novum Organum, Advancement of Learning, and The New Atlantis, as his greatest achievements. Bowen's story reveals a man whose genius it was not to immerse himself in the rigor of scientific experimentation, but to realize what questions science should ask, and thereby reach beyond the status quo and appeal to the wider imagination of his generation. In his writings, Bacon challenged established social and religious orders, raised questions about the mind/body relation and the role of dreams, and foresaw the development of the modern research university. It is Bacon's legacy to have gone beyond his age and, out of pure intuition, anticipate the concerns of future generations.