Friedrich Danielis
BIO

Biography as PDF

1944
born in Bad Reichenhall

1955 bis 1963
encounters Julius Bissier in Hagnau

1960-61
lives in the house of the painters Eduard and Valerie Baeumer
photographs for „Passing Through"

1961
encounters the photographer Lucien Clergue

1963
drops out of school and works in the bookshop and Gallery Welz

1964
moves to Vienna, friendship with Ernst Schoenwiese

1966
sojourn in Berlin, large-scale egg-tempera paintings as a commission,
in December moves to London

1967
first  „Magic Flute" triptych, encounters HG and Jeremy Adler,
the painter Georg Eisler and meets Elias Canetti

1968
large scale egg-tempera paintings and first pastels

1970
begins the „Tiepolo Cycl", and a group of drawings „Porridge Papers"

1971
long sojourn in Italy for the „Tiepolo Cycle"

1972
begins „In Onor di Citerea", second „Magic Flute" triptych

1973
„Petrarca Project", an extensive watercolour cycle,
the „Island Project" (large scale egg-temperas) and first large pastel poliptychon „The Voyage"

1974
completes the „Petrarca Project" with „Petrarca Panorama"

1975
gobelin designs for Gobelinos Riedl, Mexico, begins gouache painting, encounters Michael Guttenbrunner

1976
begins the „Babylon Project", first sojourn in New York

1977
ten-part pastel poliptych on Haydn’s „Creation", and gouaches on the „Song of Songs"

1978
begins the „Magic Flute Project", majolica paintings with Cornelius Rotter

1979
leaves London, alternates between Vienna and New York

1980
completes the „Magic Flute Project", etchings on Hoffman’s „Golden Crock" and Jeremy Adler’s „Triplets"

1981
fresco „Trionfo della Ragione" in Goettweig

1982
stage sets, costumes and masks for „Il Figliol Prodigo" in Vienna

1983
large-scale pastels and beginning of the „Nacht-Stuecke"

1984-2002
contributes over 80 essays to the Wiener Journal

1985
pastels and gouaches on „The Marriage of Light", begins his work in Venice

1986
a group of egg-temperas „The Marriage of Light", cycle of gouaches „Portable Heavens and Pocket Paradises"

1987
large-scale pastels, a large egg-tempera concludes the cycle „Marriage of Light"

1989
world premiere of the oratorio „Die Befreiung" by Wolfgang Florey with a libretto by Danielis at the Ruhr Festival, Recklinghausen

1990
„Das Grosse Glueck" is published in Vienna

1991
world premiere of the chamber opera „Das Donauergeschenk" by Rainer Bischof with libretto by Danielis in the Wiener Kammeroper

1992
six egg-tempera triptychs, a cycle of gouaches „Die Sehnsucht" (on Schubert’s „Taubenpost", drawings for the book edition of the opera libretto „Das Donauergeschenk"

1993
„Five O’Clock" pastels, „Das Schwarze Herz", aquatints for Jeremy Adler’s „To Cythera"

1994
twelve „Month’s-Paintings" as gouaches in preparation for the „Book of Hours", a pastel triptych concludes the „Five O’Clock" pictures

1995
pastel cycle „Nachthelle" (after the Schubert song), begins the anthology „Die Freiheit aufzubrechen, wohin er will" with Gutenbrunner and Kafka, sketchbook „Doppel-Felix"

1996
lithographies for „Farben-Reflexionen-Einst" by Gutenbrunner, concludes „Nachthelle", set of variations „Cosi Fan Pochi" (fifteen gouaches) in New York

1997
stage sets, costumes, masks for „The Prodigal Son" and  „Orpheus and Euridice"for the Vienna State Opera, renewed interest in the „Magic Flute"

1998
cycle „Head First into the Magic Flute"

1999
twelve-part pastel poliptych „Die Flucht nach Vorn"

2000
concludes the anthology and presents the book in the Vienna Secession

2001
preparations for the egg-tempera cycle„ Mahlereien" (36 paintings on a musical subject)

2002
world premiere of „Denksteine" by Wolfgang Florey on texts by Danielis in Venice, „Zu den Inseln der Glueckseligkeiten" is published by Welz in Salzburg

2002-2009
Travelling becomes a way of life

2003
completion of the „Book of Hours" after ten years of work and presentation as a CD-Rom

2004
„Passing Through" is presented in Salzburg at Schloss Leopoldskron and at the Vienna Secession

2005
the complete „Mahlereien" and their accompanying book are shown in Vienna, begins the pastel cycle „Aus Sarastro’s Kueche"

2006
begins work on the artist’s book „Lehnwoerter", the complete collection of artists books is shown at the Bavarian State Library in Munich,
the artist-book „Lehnwoerter" is completed and presented in June at the Vienna Secession.
Concluding the pastel-cycle „From Sarastro’s Kitchen", the group is exhibited at the Gallery Exner in Vienna.

2007
The gouaches „Manhattan Project" and „Matisse der Maler", an homage in five parts, are painted in New York.
The egg-tempera painting „Das Geleitmahl der Koenigin" (Salzburg 1964) is presented to Vienna’s Jewish Museum in memoriam Erwin Weil.
An essay „Der Mangel an Talent" is published as part of a collection („Flaws in the System", ed. Yvette Sanchez, Univ. St. Gallen).
Extended period of work in South Africa, including teaching and lectures in Johannesburg and Capetown in a joint project with Susan Salm.

2008
The nine part pastel-poliptych „Right on the Rim" and the vertical triptych „I want nothing from above" are painted in Venice.
The artist’s book „Im Augenspiegelblick" with music and a text by Wolfgang Florey is presented at the Vienna Secession.
Second part of the South Africa project with a lecture in Pretoria and the development of an artist’s book in the workshop of David Krut: „Working at Krut" is then printed by Mlungisi in Johannesburg.
„World in my pocket", a cycle of gouaches is painted in New York.
„Right on the Rim" is shown at Welz in Salzburg, the publication of an acompanying text finds its’ echo in a new art space in Johannesburg, Karin Reinprecht’s „Right on the Rim" at „Arts on Main".

2009
The pastel „I want nothing from above" becomes the center piece of a large exhibition at Mel Gallery in Vienna, where „Working at Krut" is presented.
The first watercolour monotypes are printed at Blackburn Press, NY, with Phil Sanders.
Several artists books are presented by David Krut in New York at the E/ARTIST’S BOOKS FAIR.
Riccardo Held introduces a wide selection of the books at the Ateneo Veneto in Venice.

2010
A large retrospective, „So far, so good", takes place at Vienna’s Tony Subal Gallery. Paintings, pastels and gouaches from more than forty years are complemented by a concert of the renowned Arnold Schoenberg Choir, a Schubertiade, and a performance of Schubert’s beloved quintet for strings with Annemarie Ortner and Susan Salm.
The artist’s book „Ungemeinplaetze" is presented at the Vienna Secession, the text is read by Friedemann Seufferheld.
Another group of watercolour monotypes is printed in New York at the Blackburn Press for David Krut Projects, New York.

2011
Two large cycles of works fill the next two years: „Fall’weise" will amount to 36 works of egg tempera on canvas, „Erzittert!", 15 gouaches on porridge paper, are completed in the spring of 2012.
Part of the Baumgartner Collection, complemented by recent pastels and gouaches, form a substantial exhibition at Weinheim Volksbank (Germany).
„Non est hic", an artist’s book with a photogravure and two original photographs, is presented at Tony Subal Gallery in Vienna, the text read by Helmut Wiesner.

2012
Continuing work on the large group of egg tempera paintings, the drawings „Carta di paglia" and four go-betweens, pastels, are complemented by a text, „Fall'weise", and a book of essays, „Leichter als Licht", is published by Loecker in Vienna.
„Fall’weise", completed, is shown at the Tony Subal Gallery in Vienna.
A large selection of artists books is shown at the salon BeLLeArTi in Vienna.

2013
„Working at Krut (and visiting Lovis)" is seen in the exhibition Off Broadway of the Herzog August Bibliothek Wolfenbuettel.
The Vienna Secession presents Riccardo Held’s „Se/Wenn" accompanied by a four color silkscreen print.
The Austrian PEN Club, jointly with the Presse Club CONCORDIA, introduce „Leichter als Licht".

2014
„Venetian Reflections" are shown by the Lindenau Museum Altenburg, accompanied by a substantial catalogue.
A retrospective of paintings reaching back 50 years is seen at Galerie Welz Salzburg.

2015
A cycles of gouaches „Sideeffects-Randerscheinungen" is the result of a winter in New York.