Thirty-three years after its inauguration, KunstHausWien reopens in its completely renovated historic building. The latter, a former factory of the furniture manufacturer Thonet, was extensively transformed in 1991 by architect Peter Pelikan to the design of artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (1928-2000). Behind its famous ceramic facade, reminiscent of Antonio Gaudi's Catalan modernism, the KunstHausWien, home of the Museum Hundertwasser, Museum Hundertwasser, welcomes back the works of the famous Viennese artist in a completely redesigned layout, in keeping with the spirit of its creator. Over two floors, more than 170 works are on display, including 50 from private collections.

For the curator of this new presentation, author Andreas J. Hirsch, the painting Le presque Cercle, on loan from the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art, plays a special role as one of the works conceived by Hundertwasser during his first and formative stay in Paris. Created in October 1954, the work reflects the way in which Hundertwasser developed his artistic identity. Andreas J. Hirsch adds that the "almost circle" depicted in the painting also seems to foreshadow the spirals he began to paint at this time, and which were to become one of the main motifs in his work. For him, the painting is also exemplary of works that have the appearance of a map or landscape seen from the sky, an important point of view in his philosophy. For all these reasons, Le presque Cercle is one of the highlights of the KunstHausWien's new permanent exhibition.