486 - Hubert Schmalix* (born 1952 in Graz)

Hubert Schmalix* (born 1952 in Graz) Untitled, 1996 color lithography/paper 49 x 40,5 cm signed Schmalix, dated 96 numbered 12/100 SCHÄTZPREIS / ESTIMATE € 200 - 300 STARTPREIS / STARTING PRICE € 200 Hubert Schmalix was an Austrian painter and a key figure in the "New Painting" movement—specifically the Neue Wilden (New Wild Ones)—of the 1980s. He initially gained recognition for expressive, large-scale figurative works; later, he developed a calmer, richly colored style featuring nudes, landscapes, still lifes, and cityscapes. From 1971 to 1976, he studied under Maximilian Melcher at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He held his first solo exhibition at the Vienna Künstlerhaus in 1976, followed by a solo show at the Neue Galerie Graz in 1978. In the early 1980s, Schmalix—alongside Siegfried Anzinger, Erwin Bohatsch, Herbert Brandl, and Alois Mosbacher—was recognized as a significant representative of the Austrian Neue Wilden. Gunter Damisch and Hubert Scheibl also represent important positions within this generation. Maria Lassnig, Arnulf Rainer, and Oswald Oberhuber serve as key reference points from the older generation of Austrian post-war modernism: Lassnig for subjective body perception, Rainer for expressive gesture, and Oberhuber for stylistic pluralism and critical figuration. Schmalix participated in the Venice Biennale in 1980 and the Sydney Biennale in 1984. His painting combines Neo-Expressionism, a sensuous use of color, and narrative motifs. Julian Schnabel and Jean-Michel Basquiat serve as international points of comparison for the 1980s resurgence of large-format, subjectively charged painting. Schmalix moved to Los Angeles in 1987. Color, surface, light, and atmosphere subsequently became central to his work. David Hockney, Alex Katz, and Wayne Thiebaud offer points of comparison regarding his clear planes, luminous palette, and depiction of Californian light. Schmalix taught at UCLA and the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, and in 2022, he received the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art. PLEASE NOTE: The purchase price consists of the highest bid plus the buyer's premium, sales tax and, if applicable, the fee of artists resale rights and platform fee. In the case of normal taxation (marked ° at the estimate), a premium of 24% is added to the highest bid. The mandatory sales tax is added to the sum of the highest bid, the buyer's premium and platform fee. This amounts to 13% for paintings, drawings, graphic works and sculptures and 20% for photographs and all other items. The buyer's premium amounts to 28% in case of differential taxation. The sales tax is included in the differential taxation.