Erwin Hauser, Vice President of the Friends of Lentos Association, donated his art collection of almost 3,000 works to the city of Linz and Lentos in 2024. He thus enabled the museum to make the largest expansion since its foundation with the purchase of the Wolfgang Gurlitt Collection in 1953.
To mark the occasion, Lentos is presenting a first best-of, providing insights into the history of its creation and showcasing key aspects of the top-class collection that the Linz-based entrepreneur has built up over the last 25 years with a trained eye. The Hauser Collection, which is one of the most important private collections in Austria, includes paintings, sculptures, photographs and prints by around 700 Austrian artists from the 19th century to the present day.
Karl Hofer, Portrait of Elisabeth Hofer, 1943, Erwin Hauser Collection © Lentos Kunstmuseum Linz
"Collecting pictures is a passion that I have never been able to get away from. I have put together my collection with a great deal of love for Austrian art history. I am convinced that this heritage is in the best possible hands at Lentos," says Erwin Hauser about his donation.
June 13 to October 5, 2025
