"Art is freedom of the soul, freedom of space, freedom of the spirit - and it is very important that we preserve this," says Hans Staudacher in a quote. In the creative process he gives his thoughts free rein, so that they are reflected on the canvas with impulsive gestures and generous brushwork.
The painter who grew up in Villach has lived and worked in Vienna since 1950. Between 1954 and 1962 he stayed in Paris several times for a long time and is considered the founder of the Austrian Informel. His works are executed in an expressive, gestural style of painting; they seem like calligraphic characters and bear witness to musical rhythm and spontaneity.
Staudacher attended the Staatsgewerbeschule in Villach and then trained himself autodidactically. In 1950/51 he moved to Vienna. In the beginning his work was representational. In the mid-1950s and early 1960s he repeatedly stayed in Paris. For the first time in his work, characters, surreal quotations or diary-like notes appeared. Hans Staudacher turned to lyrical informel, combined with scriptural elements. In 1956 he took part in the Venice Biennale, and in the same year the Vienna Secession dedicated a solo exhibition to him. In the early 1960s Hans Staudacher made the acquaintance of Günter Brus, Hermann Nitsch and Otto Mühl and took part in public painting actions. In 1965 he took part in the Tokyo Biennale and in 1975 in the Sao Paulo Biennale. In 1991 his artistic work was honoured in a large retrospective at the Vienna Secession, and in 2003 in an anniversary exhibition at the Vienna Künstlerhaus.
Hans Staudacher passed away in January 2021 in Vienna.
