Art in the Hotel – Curated with Intent

At our hotel, art is not merely decoration—it is a core element of the building’s identity. Together with Salzburg-based gallerist Sophia Vonier, a curatorial concept was developed that stands out for its consistency, clarity, and fine sensitivity to contemporary positions. The collection forms the heart of this concept and was integrated into the hotel’s realignment from the very beginning.

“From the start, I wanted to show that art in a hotel is not an accessory – it’s a statement. Those who stay here encounter art as an equal.” – Sophia Vonier

The Birth of a Collection

Rather than rotating exhibitions, the vision from day one was to build a dedicated art collection. The goal was to present works that are not only visually striking but that also shape the atmosphere of the house and grow with it over time. Original pieces can be found in the public areas—particularly in the entrance and breakfast room. High-quality prints of the same works are displayed in the guest rooms. In this way, art is not only shown, but becomes part of everyday life in the hotel.

“The beauty of this selection is that it represents a cross-section of my gallery program – I regularly exhibit these artists in my gallery as well.”

Artists of the Collection

The selection follows a clear curatorial focus: artists with a connection to Austria, strong painterly positions, and a curatorial approach that reveals depth and diversity.

Elisa Alberti
Alberti works with geometric shapes, clean lines, and a reduced color palette. Her abstract compositions are calm and almost meditative—yet they reveal complex spatial relationships. In her painting, she unites discipline with lightness, structure with poetry. Two works from 2022 and 2023 are on view, exemplifying her distinctive signature style.
elisaalberti.com

Dominik Louda
Louda’s works are marked by a playful approach to space, color, and material. He combines oil and gouache techniques to create both opaque and transparent visual worlds. His works shift between the figurative and the abstract, telling visual stories while leaving ample room for personal interpretation. Two pieces are exhibited in the hotel, including the atmospheric Caution, low sun (2022) and a large-format canvas from 2017–2020.
dominiklouda.com

Bertram Hasenauer
Hasenauer’s work oscillates between figuration and abstraction. His portraits are pared down, introspective, often in muted tones—and develop an intense emotional presence through their restraint. The figures portrayed seem distant and yet deeply present. The untitled work from 2020 exhibited in the hotel captures exactly this quiet tension that characterizes Hasenauer’s oeuvre.
bertramhasenauer.com

Madita Kloss
Her works combine lightness and precision. Very colorful, very joyful. Three vivid still lifes on black backgrounds stand out for their brightness and composition. Kloss works with pastel chalk and a reduced formal vocabulary, re-staging everyday objects—balancing playfulness and quiet seriousness.
maditakloss.com

Anne-Clara Stahl
The works Die Versammlung (2021) and Versuchung (2020) are notable for their variety of materials and strong painterly presence. Stahl works on wood, canvas, and cardboard, using a range of techniques including oil, pigment, and watercolor. Her pieces are characterized by figurative fragments, gestural elements, and a unique sense of color that captures emotional tension while leaving space for interpretation.
anneclarastahl.de

Johanna Binder
Johanna Binder’s work moves at the intersection of drawing, surface, and space. Starting from clear, often minimal line structures, she creates multilayered compositions that play with repetition, grids, and subtle shifts. On view in the hotel is her work Fakten 2029/20—a nitro transfer print with marker and embroidery on paper, placed in the reception area.
johannabinder.at

Julia Haugeneder
Julia Haugeneder creates sculptural wall pieces and installations that lie somewhere between painting and object. She experiments with paper, glue binder, pigments, and various other materials—focusing on process, materiality, and transformation. On display at the hotel is her untitled work (Lamellen III) from 2022. It’s a site-specific installation made of glue binder, pigment, steel, and bookbinding rings, engaging in a direct dialogue with the wall surface.
juliahaugeneder.com

Julia Brennacher
Julia Brennacher’s painting is atmospheric, serial, and rhythmic in conception. Her works are created in groups, with subtle variations in color, structure, and composition. In the hotel, five untitled works from 2021/22 are presented as an ensemble in the breakfast room. Their reduced palette and painterly density create a calm yet focused visual space.
juliabrennacher.com

Art as Part of Everyday Life

These works have not been placed randomly, but rather in conscious dialogue with the architectural space. The art engages with design, light, history, and use—becoming an identity-forming element throughout the hotel.

“From the beginning, Katharina was excited to present art in a different context. With courage—and the will to create something lasting.”

The art collection at Hotel zum Hirschen is not a finished project, but a dynamic concept. It evolves, transforms, remains alive. Guests encounter art naturally—when entering the building, during breakfast, while lingering. Art here is not explained, but experienced.

Those who stay at Hotel zum Hirschen experience a house that takes a clear stance: in its design, in the selection of artists, and in the way it integrates culture into daily life.

You can learn more about the collection and the collaboration with Galerie Vonier in the podcast episode “Art in Hotels – The Crossover of the Enduring and the Contemporary.”