In 2026, the Leopold Museum Vienna will present an impressive comparison of two outstanding artistic personalities: Herbert Boeckl (1894–1966) and Hans Josephsohn (1920–2012). Under the title "Herbert Boeckl – Hans Josephsohn. Archetypes of the Figurative," the exhibition highlights the fascinating parallels between the two artists, who never met in their lifetimes, but whose works correspond in remarkable ways in terms of physicality, materiality, and form.

The exhibition shows that neither Boeckl nor Josephsohn embarked on a path toward abstract art, even though abstraction had been shaping the art world since the 1950s. Both artists remained true to representational art, using the human figure in particular as a vehicle for expression. In their works, the human body is highly abstracted, with anatomical details receding into the background. Radical simplification and condensation give rise to a universal form of humanity: figures, heads, and half-figures appear stylized and de-individualized, yet at the same time deeply penetrating through their presence and expressiveness.

Hans Josephsohn, Untitled, 1969 © Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen, photo: Kesselhaus Josephsohn, St. Gallen © Josephsohn Estate

The formal similarities between the two artists are also evident in their approach to materials and surfaces. Boeckl works his paintings with thick layers of paint in an almost sculptural manner, while Josephsohn models additively with plaster and transfers its traces to the final casts. Both reveal the creative process: Boeckl's expressive brushstrokes and Josephsohn's handprints and traces of application remain visible. The preoccupation with rugged, scarred surfaces creates a haptic quality in both media that underscores the material presence of their works. The exhibition invites visitors to experience the timelessness of these works. Josephsohn's stele-like figures and heads appear as monolithic archetypes, while Boeckl's monumental figures and landscapes unfold a timeless, almost archaic effect. The juxtaposition creates new spaces for perception: questions of existence, physicality, and human existence emerge clearly and open up the possibility of reflecting on the relevance of figurative art across the centuries.

"Herbert Boeckl – Hans Josephsohn" demonstrates that universal expressiveness and formal reduction are not only aesthetic devices, but can also convey philosophical dimensions. The exhibition impressively illustrates how artists can develop their own distinctive visual language independently of contemporary fashions and trends. The combination of sculpture and painting, of physicality and material poetics, creates a multi-layered experience that impressively conveys the timeless fascination of figurative art.
July 24, 2026, to January 10, 2027
www.leopoldmuseum.org