Dipinge i suoi quadri iperrealisti con bandana, occhiali da sole e stivaletti, vestito come una rockstar in pensione, nel suo castello tra le campagne irlandesi.
Essendo austriaco la sua ossessione per le uniformi naziste non poteva che tirargli addosso qualche sospetto, se poi l’altra ossessione sono i bambini, rappresentati nei quadri, nelle fotografie, nelle mega-installazioni in (e con) una follia e una violenza che prima che far riflettere disturba – e tanto – i ben e i non-pensanti, aggiunta ad una lunga collaborazione con l’ex-incubo delle mamme apprensive e fuori dal tempo di mezzo mondo (Marylin Manson), a chilometri di bende fatte indossare ai suoi figli in “autoritratti di famiglia” che dire sui generis è usare un eufemismo, a rassicuranti icone disney rese più inquietanti di un incubo, a performance rosso sangue, a scenografie teatrali che sembrano state concepite all’inferno, a strumenti chirurgici gelidamente splendenti, Gottfried Helnwein non è un artista per tutti e infatti in rete, nel magico mondo dei blog, re-blog, nelle cataste di (poco sensate) mappe mentali su tumblr, nell’orgia di immagini di ffffound, non si vede molto spesso. ...

Aceptemos pues que Minera acierta al cuestionar la “nostalgia” de los jóvenes, pero no al hablar del no querer ver al “futuro” pues lo que ella llama ver al “futuro” es una opción de herramientas que el artista puede o no aceptar en la búsqueda de un arte que hable de su propia actualidad. Igual de obsoletos son cientos de performance que cuestionables los intentos hiperrealistas de llevar la técnica al extremo sin valores conceptuales, pero como se puede negar los avances de artistas que se entienden a sí mismos como integrales, usando herramientas del conceptualismo y poniéndolas al servicio de la pintura y viceversa, ahí se tiene a Bill Viola bebiendo no solo de una tradición religiosa sino de una estética pictórica, pero quién niega que Gottfried Helnwein ha alcanzado, en la pintura realista un espacio donde lo conceptual y la técnica hacen un equilibrio en obras de múltiples lecturas, que funcionan además como una crónica de nuestro tiempo. Bacon y Freud nunca fueron descalificados, prueban ambos que la búsqueda plástica no ha terminado y corresponde a la complejidad del pintor la complejidad de la obra, y a un equilibrio con su técnica la elaboración de poderosas respuestas plásticas a cuestionamientos contemporáneos. ¿Daría lo mismo que fueran una fotografía? ...

Le immagini, estremamente drammatiche di Gottfried Helnwein coinvolgono sempre adolescenti e bambini, la parte piu' indifesa della societa'. Le loro vite sembrano eternamente in pericolo in un mondo che ha perso umanita' e senso morale. ...

draussen trommeln die schweren tropfen gegen die fenster. eine laute, donnernde sommernacht. 
auf 3 sat läuft eine doku über einen der wenigen wirklichen österreichischen weltstars, über gottfried helnwein. 
es sollen zwei spanndende stunden werden, die mich total in ihren bann ziehen. wie macht er das eigentlich, der helnwein? ...

The National Theatre of Scotland and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, present two shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.
The Wheel (image by Gottfried Helnwein) is an unnerving new play by Zinnie Harris (Further than the Furthest Thing), directed by National Theatre of Scotland Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone. ...

cover: "I Walk Alone", mixed media, oil and acrylic on canvas by Gottfried Helnwein ...

G. Helnwein –… “Cuando me enteré de lo que la gente de mi país le hizo a personas inocentes durante el régimen nazi, comenzó en mí una especie de obsesión por la justicia. He perdido la confianza en el mundo de los adultos y su sistema de valores. En un niño veo el pleno potencial de los valores y las virtudes humanas, de la inocencia, la confianza, del amor, la compasión y la creatividad. En un niño lo ético está intacto, por eso me parece que son sagrados. Pero también son vulnerables e indefensos, y parece que los adultos, mediante sus moralismos y su modo de entender la justicia, tienden a traicionar la confianza que los niños han depositado en ellos. He estado investigando acerca de los abusos a niños en Alemania; he visto cientos de fotografías de cuerpos de niños muertos, cuerpos de niños torturados hasta la muerte, en su mayoría por sus propios familiares. Son imágenes que jamás podría olvidar. En ese sentido, mis narraciones visuales hablan de la lucha de la existencia humana, y los niños, sin duda, son los héroes de esta historia”. (Chile, entrevista 2008 JOIA MAGAZINE) ...

I recently went to Crocker Art Museum here in Sacramento to visit the Gottfried Helnwein exhibit that is currently on display.
Titled Disasters of War, Helnwein bases much of the artwork in the exhibit around the theme of children. The exhibit is very dark, moody and provocative. Many of the pieces involve children covered in blood, bandages, or are just psychologically intense poses. It is amazing how quickly one is forced to open their eyes and see the ugliness that can be caused by humanity. Truly, Helnwein jolts his viewers out of complacency. ...

to see the powerful, heartbreaking works of Gottfried Helnwein, visit his website ...

Most of the art in the new Crocker proved beautiful and thought-provoking, but the art that caught my attention the most was Gottfried Helnwein’s exhibition: “Inferno of the Innocents.”
Like many people who have seen Gottfried Helnwein’s exhibition “Inferno of the Innocents,” I did find the works to be disturbing and even stomach-churning at times. However, I also found myself having a great appreciation for Helnwein’s work because there is so much truth in the “mirror” he is holding up to our society: We live in a violent, sick world filled with hatred, war, and discrimination, which is exactly one of the reasons why I may not end up having kids someday; the notion of not being able to protect my future children from the aforementioned dangers in the world we live in is another thought that makes me feel sick in and of itself. So, yes, Gottfried Helnwein may easily be perceived as “one sick motherfucker,” but he’s also a brilliant, talented artist who dared to create something that needed to be said in a visual form, no matter how uncomfortable the final product would make our society feel. I have to say that I have a lot of respect for Gottfried Helnwein’s work, and a lot of respect for the Crocker Art Museum for showing that Sacramento is not afraid of the avante-garde. ...

The interviews are really visceral which marries well with the physical format of the magazine. The winner for me was the section on Gottfried Helnwein; unnerving, twisted and beautiful. Unfortunately, I finished reading the WHOLE magazine… the first, second…and third time. ...

Ultimately, Helnwein's art explores the human condition through pain, fear and the forces of war. It is visceral and unnerving. Because Helnwein grew up in a post-war German speaking country, much of his art references the Holocaust (for example, in his recreation of the famous "Adoration of the Magi," the infant Jesus is surrounded by five SS officers). His work is so controversial that, unfortunately, it has been protested, defamed and even confiscated by the police. ...

Gottfried Helnwein isn't just an artist. He is an inspiration, a voice, and his masterpieces will capture your eyes and touch your soul. His art has been around for decades, and it was truly a pleasure to discover his work.
amfm had the opportunity to see some of his most striking and beautiful pieces up close at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento for their latest exhibit "Inferno of the Innocents" featuring the artist. When you walked into the exhibition it was as if the mood shifted from the hustle and bustle of simply checking out art, to gazing at a piece in awe of it's wonder. ...

These pieces of art are large and alarming! A good artist makes the viewer "feel" their works, and this artist 100% succeeds at doing this. We all walked out of this room feeling like we've been hit by a truck and the enjoyment was sucked right out of us. We ended up leaving the museum pretty much right after viewing these painting. One right after the other was so disturbing and dark and lifelike. The paintings were mostly of little girls, soldiers, guns, blood, Micky Mouse and Donald Duck in very dark backgrounds. The eyes of these girls were so real! You saw the soul was ripped away from these girls, dead inside. ...

Join Associate Curator Diana Daniels for an intimate conversation with Gottfried Helnwein, who will discuss his artistic processes and inspirations. The conversation is in conjunction with the opening of Helnwein's Inferno of the Innocents exhibition. Reservations are required. ...

And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was greatly influenced by painters. Often, the spark of an idea for a story comes from a painting I’ve seen. For me, certain painters are great storytellers, better than most writers. It is the power of suggestion in their work, the bits and pieces left up to your own brain that try to make sense of what is transpiring in the image. I just saw an amazing exhibit by Gottfried Helnwein that did that. ...

VAIL, Colo.—Last year, Vicki and Kent Logan made headlines when they announced a $60 million-plus bequest to the Denver Art Museum—the largest planned gift in the museum’s 113-year history. That gift includes a promise of the Logan house and the private 7,500-square-foot museum situated next door.
The Colorado-based couple has been active on museum boards for many years and has donated extensively to the Denver museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. ...

Our regular feature, Collection Rotation. Each month a guest organizes an exhibition from our collection works online. Maria Naula works in SFMOMA’s Accessions Department supervising the acquisitions process, and it's possible she knows the collection, at least as it's grown over the last decade, more comprehensively than anyone on staff. Welcome! ...