Cora Pongracz (1943 – 2003)
Franz West (five-part portrait from the series »verwechslungen«), Vienna, Karl-Marx-Hof, 1977
From the edition »Austrian Avant-Garde of the 1970s«
Limited edition of 5
Cora Pongracz presented manifold facets of the representation of persons in a workgroup of 23 portrait series, titled »verwechslungen« (mix-ups) in 1978 at Galerie nächst St. Stephan. In the catalog text, Reinhard Priessnitz names »ironic self-exposure« as the unifying thematic framework. In each case, Pongracz' captured specific reactions to being photographed, thus questioning the classical portrait's claim to a single, supposedly authentic image of a personality.
The now internationally renowned artist Franz West (1947–2012) had his first exhibition as a self-taught artist at the time the photograph was taken, and only through this did he get the opportunity to study sculpture with Bruno Gironcoli. For Pongracz's project of »verwechslungen« he poses on a terrace of the Karl-Marx-Hof with prickly pears. Between reclining and lounging, some with eyes closed, his body positions in the five associated images are anti-poses - the opposite of posture one would typically adopt for a portrait photograph. The cactus appears in close proximity to West's ear, probably alluding to the Austrian term »Ohrwaschlkaktus«. At the same time, the absurdity of the staging thrives on the border of casualness; the subtle wit and the unpretentious realization are reminiscent of West's »Passstücke« (adaptives), materialized neuroses, whose bodily handling he had documented by means of photographs - among others also by Cora Pongracz - while their designation was suggested by Reinhard Priessnitz.
Gelatin silver print from the original negative
Image dimensions 30 x 30 cm (30 x 30 inch)
Mounting, Framing Archival mat board and frame upon request
Condition
Double weight baryta, semi-matte surface
Annotations
Estate stamp »Nachlass Cora Pongracz © OstLicht« with edition number in pencil on the reverse
Literature
Cora Pongracz, »verwechslungen«. einzelphotos und serien, hg. von Rosemarie Schwarzwälder / galerie nächst st. stephan, Wien 1978 (ill. above!); Robert Fleck, Avantgarde in Wien. Die Geschichte der Galerie nächst St. Stephan 1954-1982. Kunst und Kunstbetrieb in Österreich, Wien: Galerie nächst St. Stephan 1982, S. 484; Maren Richter, Cora Pongracz. Anleitung zum Sehen oder: »Wien, die 70er Jahre, Frauen usw.«, in: Camera Austria International, Nr. 61, Graz 1998, S. 57-69; Marie Röbl, Peter Coeln (Hg.), Cora Pongracz. Das fotografische Werk, Wien 2016, S. 119.
Prints / Kunst / Porträt /
