Following the purchase of a former barracks site and the decision to house our company headquarters in a listed building, the foundations were laid for KUNSTHAUS : KOLLITSCH. The conversion of the building was carried out with a tremendous commitment to the idea of creating prestigious office premises in which not only employees but also clients and visitors would feel comfortable. The quality of the planning and execution was intended as an expression of the standards we apply to our work, at the same time providing an environment in which top performance can be achieved.

As we have been interested in art for a long time, this property offered the possibility of not only collecting art but also of showing it. We have no interest in acquiring exhibits and storing them in warehouses. On the contrary, the art we show is intended to stimulate thought and to make a contribution to enriching the open-minded attitude of the viewer with an interest in art, through the presentation of new art worlds.

It was natural for the focus to be on art that is being produced at the present time. Nothing calls into question the concept of art more than contemporary art, for it often represents a certain challenge, for those on the receiving end, to decode the messages contained in the individual works and the matters which are of concern to the artist.

It is certainly easier to find our way around in the terrain of art which is historically familiar to us than to immerse ourselves in new thought worlds and concepts. But if we allow ourselves to look at the wide range of works that contemporary art has to offer, we will find ourselves on an exciting and rewarding journey.

The way that many artists play with all forms of expression and with content taken from our modern world opens up new ways of looking, new perspectives which expand our thinking. Thus the work of art being shown is at the same time a training ground for the expansion of our own personality and our own consciousness, educating our perception.

With the development of our “Kunsthaus” came an increasing desire to make the exhibits accessible to the public. The selection of the individual items for the exhibitions is undertaken in collaboration with various curators and advisers.

We are delighted to welcome any visitor who is interested in art and who shares our passion for contemporary art.

We hope that our visitors will approve of our concept and will see our “Kunsthaus” as a way of enriching the cultural landscape of Carinthia.

— Sigrun and Günther Kollitsch