Hellmut Bruch 90 Years From the Elementary to the Open

The Museum Liaunig is dedicating a comprehensive retrospective to the Tyrolean artist Hellmut Bruch to mark his 90th birthday. Curator Günther Dankl presents key works from Bruch’s artistic oeuvre – ranging from early pieces made from industrial materials to the characteristic stainless steel and acrylic glass objects of recent decades – and, through this exhibition, pays tribute to one of the most significant figures in concrete-constructivist art in the German-speaking world.

Since the late 1960s, Hellmut Bruch has pursued a consistent artistic path. His body of work is based on two fundamental principles: reduction to the essentials and the openness of form as an invitation to independent thought. Building on these, Bruch has developed a distinctive visual language that combines mathematical order, philosophical reflection and sensory perception.

The exhibition centres on sculptures and three-dimensional works made from stainless steel and acrylic glass – materials whose unique properties Bruch has been utilising for decades to explore his artistic themes. Light, reflection and transparency become central design elements. The artist’s formal language is deliberately minimalist. Lines, circles, squares and rectangles form the basis of a body of work that engages with the principles of proportion, growth and order. Many works follow the structures of the Fibonacci sequence and, building on this, develop open forms that point beyond their material boundaries and draw viewers into a process of active engagement.

The circle plays a special role, with Bruch interpreting it as a symbol of unity, wholeness and infinity. Through the combination of geometric clarity and the immaterial medium of light, works are created that are far more than mere formal constructions. They become spaces for thought and experience, in which perception and insight merge.

A catalogue accompanying the exhibition will be published, featuring an essay by Günther Dankl and numerous illustrations of the works (German, ISBN 978-3-9506075-3-6).

"Hellmut Bruch 90 years – From the Elementary to the Open" Curator: Günther Dankl 2 August–31 October 2026