Gottfried Helnwein Artist

Gottfried Helnwein (born 8 October 1948) is an Austrian born Austrian-Irish fine artist, painter, photographer, installation and performance artist.Helnwein studied at the University of Visual Art in Vienna (Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Wien). He was awarded the Master-class prize (Meisterschulpreis) of the University of Visual Art, Vienna, the Kardinal-König prize and the Theodor-Körner prize.He has worked as a painter, draftsman, photographer, muralist, sculptor, installation and performance artist, using a wide variety of techniques and media.His early work consists mainly of hyper-realistic watercolors, depicting wounded and mistreated children, as well as performances – often with children – in public spaces. The human condition as his subject matter has emerged and stayed consistent throughout his career. The metaphor for his art, although it included self-portraits, is dominated by the image of the wounded child, scarred physically and emotionally . Helnwein is concerned primarily with psychological and sociological anxiety, historical issues and political topics. As a result of this, his work is often considered provocative and controversial.Viennese-born Helnwein is part of a tradition going back to the 18th century, to which Messerschmidt's grimacing sculptures belong. Also, there is a common ground of his works with those of Hermann Nitsch and Rudolf Schwarzkogler, two other Viennese, who display their own bodies in the frame of reference of injury, pain, and death.Helnwein lives and works in Ireland and Los Angeles.