Dealing with art institutions as well as private collectors requires the insurer to secure value, promote culture, and bring people together.

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Among its many branches within the insurance field, UNIQA is active within the the art insurance sector. Dealing with art institutions as well as private collectors requires the insurer to secure value, promote culture, and bring people together. The enterprise is therefore not just limited to providing insurance benefits, it also offers knowledge, contacts, and support, in order to make it possible for art and the art world to develop. We at CastYourArt have found in UNIQA a business partner whose commitment has made a number of our podcast episodes possible. In the following episode, we spoke with Konstantin Klien, CEO of UNIQA, and Petra Eibel, the director of art insurance department at UNIQA, two important representatives of the UNIQA art sector, in order to get their views on their company’s position, philosophy, services, and identity.

When one feasts with the eyes, does one realize that one is consuming more than just food? An episode on the Augenschmaus exhibition at Bank Austria Kunstforum in Vienna.

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The fact that we carefully inspect the food that we consume is potentially relevant to culture. A civilized person does not simply eat, she dines more »

Warhol, Newman, Wool “Barney is now at another party.“ When exhibitions show artistic developments in a larger context, it is a good thing for every visitor. Such an exhibition can be seen at the moment at Kunsthaus Graz. Under the curatorial direction of Peter Pakesch, the exhibition “Warhol, Wool, Newman” bridges the gap between abstract American expressionism, minimal and pop art, and some of the art of our time. This podcast was realised with the kind support of UNIQUA ArtCercles.

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Abstract American expressionism brought a new image and understanding of space into the world of art. The viewer played a central role here, because the work was no longer possible without his/her presence. In Barnett Newman’s work, this becomes noticeably clear. It positions the viewer as the counterpart and participant in the space of the image and confronts him/her with a physical reality. more »

The art world is one which takes itself very seriously. Whether it is in the hushed classrooms of art schools where aspiring students dutifully sketch nude models, or in the fancy words of the latest review in the glossy pages of a top art magazine, or in the hallowed, guarded, temperature-controlled halls of a prestigious national museum, fine art is nothing to be laughed at – apparently.

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There was a time when William Anthony wanted to be taken “seriously”. But then came the day when he finally got through to his drawing students. He thought he would demonstrate the classic “don’t”s of figure drawing by incorporating them into one representative form. Then, something interesting happened. They laughed. He had somehow struck a chord. “Learning from mistakes” seemed to have made the greatest impact on his students. more »

The little superhero, Superrobbie, who looks like a Playmobil figure, appears together with his other little brothers-in-arms in an image that resembles children’s room wallpaper, strewn in cheerful crayon shades. Surrounded by cute little ducklings, little Superrobbie places himself in a scene of contrasting reality, toting a pistol in his hand. Stretched out before him are his dead teachers, who are embodied in a similar Playmobil form. The dark side of the image reveals itself in its title: “Erfurt”.

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Christian Pölzler create his art under the brand name, Heidi Popovic, which may seem cynical at first, but actually isn’t. Through pop poster images, through decorative wallpaper samples, through advertisements that promise us that “everything is OK”, Pölzler salvages forgotten images and maps a modern political apocalypse. more »

Rudolf Budja owns pictures which are usually only available to most of us in the form of cheap reproductions. He is an art collector, owner of the Artmosphere Galleries, and an internationally renowned dealer of Pop art. CastYourArt was interested in how one can become so successful in the art trade. After our four-part interview with Rudolf Budja, we learned a bit about his path to success, as well as the following: an art collector is not only an art collector. Rudolf Budja considers himself to be a kind of psychotherapist and “soul surgeon” for the wealthy who are seeking meaning in their lives. Art therefore provides not only a way of seeking, but also of healing. If the price of a piece of art is so high that even the rich and ruthless can feel its sting, it can plant the seed of an emotion on which that they had almost given up—the joy of discovering some kind of meaning in life. (wh/jn)

Rudolf Budja - Business and Passion, Part 1

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Rudolf Budja - Business and Passion, Part 2

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Rudolf Budja - Business and Passion, Part 3

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Rudolf Budja - Business and Passion, Part 4

[5:51 min] download for: mobile, computer and iPod | send feedback