Frederick Kiesler Foundation
The Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation was founded in 1997, after the Republic of Austria and the city of Vienna, with the help of numerous private benefactors, had acquired the descendant’s estate of Frederick Kiesler. It is its objective to explore the heritage of this Austro-American architect (1890-1965) and to ascribe it to the contemporary canon of architectural and artistic practice.
In his attempt to achieve a symbiosis of artistic and social domains, Kiesler was oriented towards an interdisciplinary combination of theory and practice. He was active in the various disciplines of architecture, visual arts, design and theatre. The Kiesler Foundation Vienna develops its interdisciplinary and transmedial activities based on this holistic way of thinking. Research projects, symposia and exhibitions examine Kiesler’s oeuvre and its historical impact, attending to aspects of historical inquiry, as well as of contemporary cultural discourse.
Founders and Sponsors
Bundeskanzleramt Österreich für Kunst und Kultur
Bundesministerium für Bildung, Wissenschaft und Forschung
Kulturabteilung der Stadt Wien
Oesterreichische Nationalbank
Bank Austria Creditanstalt AG
Österreichische Postsparkassen Aktiengesellschaft
Österreichischen Lotterien
WITTMANN MÖBELWERKSTÄTTEN
Wiener Städtische Allgemeine Versicherung Aktiengesellschaft
Bank für Arbeit und Wirtschaft Aktiengesellschaft
Hannes Pflaum
Gertraud Bogner und Dieter Bogner
John Sailer
Sponsors
Board
Elke Delugan-Meissl (President)
Thomas Angermair
Martin Böhm
Angelika Fitz
Elisabeth Klaus
Kathrin Kneißel
Petra Schaper Rinkel
Christoph Thun-Hohenstein
Barbara Weitgruber (co-opted board member)
Team
Gerd Zillner, Director
gerd.zillner@kiesler.org
Jill Meißner-Wolfbeisser, Archive and Research
jill.meissner@kiesler.org
Anna Fliri, Curator
anna.fliri@kiesler.org
Julia Kapferer, Archive assistant
Theresa Czerny, Office and Administration
theresa.czerny@kiesler.org
Archive
In 1997, the Austrian Frederick and Lillian Kiesler Private Foundation purchased about 4,000 works on paper, approximately 5,600 photographs and numerous documents by and on Frederick Kiesler. The contents of the Kiesler Archive consist of drawings, sketches and plans, as well as letters and theoretical texts ranging from the 1920s up to the 60s. The mostly unpublished material provides diverse insights into Kiesler’s visionary concepts, into his working methods and above all into his multiple-disciplinary attitude.
Kiesler’s importance as a key player in the artistic and architectural avant-garde scene in the first half of the 20th century manifests itself in his extensive correspondence with well-acclaimed artists and personalities of the cultural community such as Marcel Duchamp, Piet Mondrian, Theo van Doesburg, Max Ernst, Hans Arp, Peggy Guggenheim and many others.
The Kiesler Archive (Monday – Friday) can be visited by appointment only. Please contact: jill.meissner@kiesler.org
Library
The Kiesler Foundation Library is composed of Frederick and Steffi Kiesler’s books and a number of books which belonged to Lillian Kiesler. Throughout the years, the Kiesler Foundation has purchased books on the oeuvre of Frederick Kiesler as well as extensive secondary literature on his works and his artistic environment. Furthermore, general literature on architecture, fine arts, design, theatre, art theory and architectural theory is available in context to Frederick Kiesler, his oeuvre and life. A large number of novels, essays, books on history, anthropology, science fiction, medicine, physiology, geology, biology, occultism etc. are included in the collection.