Circle of Patrons: Leopold Museum Founds Support Platform

12.02.2016

Eminent representatives from the fields of business, science and culture at inaugural event of the Circle of Patrons

On Tuesday evening, 9th February 2016, Hans-Peter Wipplinger, the Museological Director of the Leopold Museum, and Georg Pölzl, the General Manager of the Austrian Post, hosted the inaugural event of the Board of Patrons (BoP). The BoP heads the Circle of Patrons (CoP), the newly founded platform of supporters and friends of the Leopold Museum.

The chairman / head of the BoP is the General Manager of the Austrian Post Georg Pölzl. The BoP unites committed and influential people with an interest in art from the fields of business, science, society, art and culture, including bankers, business consultants, lawyers, artists and scientists, as new cultural partners of the Leopold Museum.

Members of the BoP include: Prof. Elisabeth Stadler (GM VIG Vienna Insurance Group), Antonella Mei-Pochtler (Boston Consulting Group), Rudolf Scholten (GM Österreichische Kontrollbank AG), Stefan Pierer (CEO KTM), Hubert Schultes (GM NÖ Versicherung AG), Markus Schindler (partner at pantarhei), Harald Neumann (CEO Novomatic AG), Thomas Angermair (partner at Dorda Brugger Jordis), Martina Postl (MD Coinberg Management GmbH), Nikolaus Brandstätter (publisher), Martin Ohneberg (GM Henn), Eugen A. Russ (GM Russmedia), Patricia Spiegelfeld (art historian), the artists Martha Jungwirth, Daniel Spoerri, Anna Jermolaewa and Constantin Luser, as well as the Managing Director of the Leopold Museum Gabriele Langer, the chairman of the board of directors of the Leopold Museum Private Foundation Helmut Moser, the curator and psychotherapist Diethard Leopold, son of the museum’s founder Rudolf Leopold, as well as the initiator of the platform, the Leopold Museum’s Director Hans-Peter Wipplinger.

Director Wipplinger welcomed around 200 eminent guests, introduced the initiators of the BoP and explained the objectives of the Circle of Patrons, which he outlined as follows: “The goal of the platform is to establish a maecenic-civic forum, as we are convinced that, with its eminent contribution to art and cultural history and to identity development, the collection of the Leopold Museum deserves increased recognition among society as a whole”.

The Director of the Leopold Museum expects to further increase the standing of this important museum: “We intend our future collection, exhibition and panel activities to resonate more directly with social developments, so that we might create a mutually beneficial open dialogue”.

Georg Pölzl, Elisabeth Stadler and the renowned artist Daniel Spoerri drummed up support for the museum’s future projects in their addresses.

Elisabeth Stadler, the General Manager of the VIG, a long-standing partner of the Leopold Museum, appealed to the guests to assume “social responsibility” by “supporting artists and cultural initiatives in a targeted manner”. She highlighted the importance of understanding “art and culture as an essential contributor to our quality of life”.

Georg Pölzl, the General Manager of the Austrian Post, supports the platform with great enthusiasm: “I am very happy to be involved with this initiative. To me, a commitment to art is among the noblest responsibilities of any society”. He added that experience had shown and convinced him that “innovative ideas, like those created by artists, help to promote critical thinking and measured actions. They challenge us to reflect, which is beneficial to society“.

In his speech, the artist Daniel Spoerri said that he was looking forward to future, elaborately designed exhibitions at the Leopold Museum, affording discriminating insights into the oeuvres of different artists.
After the speeches, Director Wipplinger, Elisabeth Leopold, Diethard Leopold, the Curator of the Collection Franz Smola and the curators Birgit Summerauer, Ivan Ristić and Stefan Kutzenberger guided guests through the new presentation of the museum’s Egon Schiele Collection, the largest worldwide, as well as through the current special exhibition “Hidden Treasures. Artworks Seek Sponsors!”

Over refreshments, Director Wipplinger, the members of the BoP and the team of the Leopold Museum informed guests about the various ways of supporting the museum, whether as a “Junior Patron”, a “Platinum Patron” or even a “Yearly Sponsor”. The patrons, in turn, enjoy numerous benefits beyond the unique art experiences offered by the museum’s temporary and permanent exhibitions, including annual tickets, special invitations, artists’ editions, sponsorships for artworks, visits to artists’ studios, dinner invitations and exclusive guided tours with the Director at Austrian and international art fairs.

Apart from the members of the BoP, the CoP event was attended by, among others, Andrea Jungmann (MD Sotheby’s Österreich), Martin Böhm (MD Dorotheum), Thomas Zierhofer-Kin (Wiener Festwochen), Elisabeth Dutz (Oesterreichische Nationalbank), Friedrich Kiradi (MERIT Group), the chairmen of the Leopold Museum Private Foundation Werner Muhm (director Arbeiterkammer Wien), Carl Aigner (artistic director of the Landesmuseum Niederösterreich), Wilhelm Rasinger (president of IVA Interessensverband für Anleger), Hans Raumauf (board member / Wiener Städtische Versicherungsverein; president / Association of Friends of the Leopold Museum), Gerald Salzmann (MD UBS Wealth Management Österreich), Gerhard Starsich (GM Münze Österreich AG), Nikolaus Barta and Renate Schwarz-Barta (Barta & Partner Fine Art Risk Management), Herbert Stepic (bank manager, former CEO Raiffeisen Bank International), Susanne Wendler (head of corporate clients UniCredit), the gallery owners and art dealers Gabriele Schober, Silvie Steinek, Wolfgang Bauer, Alexander Giese, Julius Hummel, Martin Janda, Georg Kargl and Michael Kovacek, the artists VALIE EXPORT, Erwin Bohatsch, Plamen Dejanoff, Hans Kupelwieser, Lukas Pusch, Gregor Schmoll and Walter Vopava, the architects Gregor Eichinger and Hermann Eisenköck, the lawyers Bernhard Hainz, Ludwig Draxler, Anton Draskovits, Thomas Haffner, Martin Maxl and Andreas Nödl, the consultants Anton Schmölzer, Barbara Grötschnig (Group Sponsoring VIG), Birgit Vikas (GM Kunsttrans Spedition GmbH), Siegfried Schöffauer (MD hs art service austria GmbH), the art publisher Charlotte Kreuzmayr, Gernot Dolezal (executive coach), Christof Cremer (costume designer and set decorator), Monika Faber (photography expert / photoinstitut bonartes), the psychoanalysts Prof. August Ruhs and Prof. Monika Meister (Department for Theater, Film and Media Studies, Vienna University), Prof. Thomas Zaunschirm (art expert), Peter Weinhäupl (chairman Klimt Foundation), the advertisers Luigi Schober and Daniela Grill (directors Arts & Culture Gewista), Edith Frauscher (Cooperation Culture & Events Infoscreen), Brigitte Huck (evn collection) and Christian Mikunda (Comment).

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