Close to Heaven – An Exhibition Must at Stift Admont

Usual you read at the beginning of an article about art how much I love 18^th century art. This time it is different (haha!, but I start with an 18th century ceiling* photo). I will tell about a most impressing exhibition of Gothic art. My friend Pia Geusau**, a hard working, amiable lady, is responsible for and I am very grateful to her. Pia is a good friend of Kuno Mayer. He comes from Vorarlberg (Western Austria), was working for many years as fashion designer but his love had always belonged to medieval art – a teacher had aroused this interest.

Pia Geusau and Kuno Mayer

Together with his wife Helga Kuno Mayer started collecting Gothic artworks and run an antiques shop in Bregenz (Vorarlberg´s capital) for many years. As a collector of medieval art you need of course to know a good restorer and this was the moment, when my friend Pia came into his life – she was asked to restore statues and paintings what she has been doing until now.

Saint Anna Trinity (the usual term for an art work that shows saint Anna with her daughter Maria and baby Jesus. On the photo you only see a “duality” as the baby is missing).

And now the incredible and stupendous end of the story. Kuno Mayer´s private collection grew and he eventually had the idea to share his treasure with the public. He was looking for a suitable ambiance he finally found in Stift Admont where everything seemed perfect – nature, the beautiful abbey with its famous Baroque library (s. photo at the top) and the gratefulness of the Benedictines. So Kuno Mayer decided to donate the collection to Stift Admont where the treasure can by now be admired by everyone! This is what one calls generousness.

As my husband and I love Stift Admont very much this is a good reason to go there very often and to see this treasure. I want to suggest this to everyone – go to Stift Admont whenever there is time and enjoy admiring the Gothic collection. It is breath-taking.

*Part of the ceiling mural in Stift Admont´s library.

**Pia Geusau runs a pony farm, produces organic food for animals and works as restorer too.