Marie Grabner (22) already wanted to invest her pocket money in art and soon inspired her partner David Anton Wildberger (24) for the hobby of collecting. Today, the young couple share a great passion for collecting with a focus on big Austrian names, which can only be contained by a lack of hanging space. A conversation about the beginnings of art buying.

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viennacontemporary: Who brought the passion for collecting into your relationship?

Marie Grabner: That was me. I have a family background: everyone in my family is interested in art, either they make art or work in the art industry. I wanted to buy my first works of art with my pocket money when I was ten years old – Hans Staudacher and Franz Grabmayr. My parents stopped me at the time. If they had let me, the works would be worth a lot more now (laughs). When David and I moved in together during Corona, we said now is the time – we want to start collecting.

David Anton Wildberger: I come from a family where art does not play a big role. It was with Marie’s grandparents that I first saw how art makes a room more lively and, above all, individualizes it. Then you, Marie, came home four years ago with the two paintings by Hermann Nitsch – that’s when I realized how much joy it brings! How you look at the pictures every day and think how much nicer the room is. That was actually the main intention, that I said we needed lots and lots of art and would hang everything up. Until we eventually have more walls to hang more.

 

viennacontemporary: Yes, the walls are already quite full.

David Anton Wildberger: We are slowly running out of space. We tend to go for large-format pictures, and that in a very small apartment. Half a year ago there were still cuppoards up to the ceiling, but we had to remove everything to make more space for art. We now have hardly any storage space left and have had to get rid of a lot of things. But it’s worth the sacrifice.

Marie : I gave David the Mlenek behind the plant for his birthday. It’s a painting with a piece of wood from the Staatsatelier, painted black and our name hangs in the Staatsatelier.

David Anton Wildberger: That was a really great present! And it also included us visiting Mlenek. He asked how the work was hanging in our studio and I showed him the photo. He was really shocked by it and immediately gave us hanging tips. I had to laugh so hard.

Artwork by Hannes Mlenek, a birthday present from Marie to David.

 

viennacontemporary: How do you find new art?

David Anton Wildberger: I like walking around the first district and looking in galleries. We also go to auctions, actually to all the ones that take place. And to fairs. Once you’ve been to two or three fairs, you start to notice patterns and recognize artists. And then you stand at the exhibition stand, ask questions and hear stories about the artists, learn funny things about the person and get a stronger and stronger connection to them. For me, art must first and foremost be beautiful, i.e. aesthetically pleasing. But then, of course, it’s all the more special when you have a connection to the art and the artist. And once we’ve made that connection, then we look at where we could buy the art.

Marie Grabner: We’ve already bought in galleries, at auctions and charity auctions, on Willhaben and directly from artists.

David Anton Wildberger: Whenever possible, we try to visit the artists. It’s really special when you see where they create. And for me, it’s also important that the person is likeable. That’s not the case with all artists, we don’t know Hermann Nitsch or Gunter Damisch, of course, but Joanna Gleich, Hannes Mlenek, Peter Kogler, for example… they are such likeable people. And then it’s all the nicer when their works hang in our gallery.

 

viennacontemporary: You started with some very well-known names.

Marie Grabner: Yes, we collect important Austrian contemporary artists.

David Anton Wildberger: Marie’s grandpa thinks we have expensive taste (laughs).

viennacontemporary team at Marie and David’s apartment.

 

viennacontemporary: Is there a strategic idea behind this?

Marie Grabner: Contemporary art is somehow what I grew up with, where there was always a connection. And that’s simply what we like best.

David Anton Wildberger: When you start collecting, as we are doing right now, you have to concentrate on something – that’s why we’re limiting ourselves to Austria for now. My technical training at a technical college has shaped me. One special experience was when I worked for an airline and saw an impressive black and white airplane. I later found out that it had been designed by Peter Kogler. Since then, he has been my favorite artist because he combines technology and art. That motivated me to take a closer look at his art. As a result, I later became interested in contemporary art and subsequently in Viennese Actionism, Günter Brus, Nitsch … and that’s how you discover other artists.

Marie Grabner: My favorite artist is Joanna Gleich. I recommend her to anyone who loves colorful painting and asks me for a tip on a good investment.

 

viennacontemporary: Has your perception or taste in contemporary art changed as a result of your experiences?

David Anton Wildberger: Yes, very much! At HTL, for example, I was still prejudiced against abstract art. The classic opinion: I’ll buy three colors and do it myself. But then we went on a painting course with Marie’s aunt. I couldn’t believe how difficult it is to get just one color on the canvas. It was only then that I understood how complex art is. That’s what I tell all my friends today who make fun of contemporary art: try it yourself and you’ll see how difficult it is.

Artworks by Joanna Gleich.

 

viennacontemporary: Do you always search for specific artists or do you spontaneously fall in love with a work without knowing the name behind it?

David Anton Wildberger: Of course that happens, but usually we can’t afford them. I do have an absolute favorite painting that really triggers something in me. A huge painting by Franz Grabmayer, a landscape painting of an alpine pasture. I’m from Vienna, I have nothing to do with the Alps or nature. But it’s so genuine, somehow.

Marie Grabner: We didn’t even dare to ask the price.

 

viennacontemporary: You bought your first artworks when Marie had just turned 18. How did those around you react?

Marie Grabner: I went to art school and my friends were also interested in art. But when David’s friends come over, for example, who also went to a technical college, they are surprised that we enjoy it so much.

David Anton Wildberger: The first works of art also took courage. For me, it was a big step to spend so much money on something that you don’t actually need – in other words, absolute luxury. I didn’t grow up with this mentality. Because of the high prices, I almost felt obliged to justify the purchase to my family. But we did not regret it one day.

Marie Grabner: You also have to say that we inform ourselves very thoroughly before we buy anything. The first thing we look at, of course, is the work. Then we compare a lot of prices and have now developed a good feel for the art market. As a result, we have been able to get very good prices.

All photos by Maria Belova.

 

viennacontemporary: What can the Austrian art scene do to be more interesting for young people?

David Anton Wildberger: What comes to my mind spontaneously – although I don’t know how they could change that – is that I used to think that if I wasn’t a potential buyer, I shouldn’t enter a gallery at all. Now I’ve found that gallery owners are very happy to talk about the art, even if I’m not a potential buyer.

Marie Grabner: Also that there are simply no prices posted anywhere and you don’t dare to ask. So you don’t even know, could I possibly afford it?

 

viennacontemporary: How do you set the financial framework?

David Anton Wildberger: We finance our art ourselves, we both work full-time and study part-time. When buying art, we are very rational, compare a lot and slow each other down so that we don’t make an irrational decision.

Marie Grabner: We split the costs of all paintings 50/50. That’s great, because that way, they only cost us the half the price!