Petition for the Preservation of the Phantasten Museum Wien

[Otto Rapp]

A petition for the preservation of the Phantasten Museum Wien - Museum of Fantastic Art in Vienna - is currently on line.

The subject is rather urgent and I ask you to sign this petition, if you haven not done so already. It is important to also show that beyond a local following, it is our international community who is also interrested in the continuation and preservation of this heritage of Fantastic Realism (Phantastischer Realismus) that had its roots in the city of Vienna.

The overarching issue is of a political nature: The Austrian Culture Center who has leased the building (Palais Palffy) for these past 50 years and houses the Phantasten Museum under its wings is being subjected to harassment by the owners of the building which is the Austrian Federal Government's Real Estate Company "Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft" - sporting the in this case rather ominous acronym "BIG". The motiv is rather transparent: the lease the Austrian Culture Center holds is at a very favorable rate, and "BIG" is seemingly determined to use every means possible to break this lease. This is done through harassment, through what appears to be malicious use of process in the courts, and through deliberate neglect of the building and indifference to much needed repairs and upgrades, such as the elevators, which are not in compliance with current codes and thus taken out of service by the building inspectors. The museum, which is housed on the second floor, is thus only accessible via the stairs. Needless to say that wheelchair access to any level is impossible.

Was it coincident that recently the building was attacked with paint? - shortly after we had record visitors at the "Lange Nacht der Museen" (Long Night of the Museums) and garnered a respectable 11th position amongst all Museums in Vienna, with over 4000 visitors that night! This apparently did not sit well with the 'established' art institutions who would sooner like it if we just went quietly into oblivion. If there is some collusion is a matter of speculation, but not to be dismissed off hand.

To illustrate the current condition of the Palais Palffy, the home of the Phantasten Museum, see this recent picture:

It is quite obvious that, aside from the recent vandalism, the fassade is in dire need of repair - and that is just what shows on the surface!

To get to the point: a petition has been started, both with actual signature forms as well as on the internet, to be presented to the Office of the Mayor of Vienna by the honorary president of the Austrian Culture Center, Karl Blecha (a former federal minister and currently the President of the Pensioners Association).

The petition is written in german, and for those who need a translation, it is provided on this page in our public Visionary Art Gallery:

MUSEUM OF FANTASTIC ART - PETITION

There you also find the pdf form we use for signatures also. Some fun pictures of a recent flash-mob action in support of the museum by the "Künstlervereinigung Les Montmartrois - Wien, Berlin, Paris, Hamburg" on November 24th are also found on that page.

I thank you very much in advance for your help in this matter. It would also be appreciated if you passed this on in your circles.

Perhaps it is a sign of our success and popularity - WE ARE BEING NOTICED - but not the way we would have liked to!

Love, Peace and Happiness

Otto Rapp