The opening of the exhibition Otto Muehl – Kunst am Abgrund at the Wiener Aktionismus Museum in Vienna drew immediate protests from activists and former commune members, highlighting deep public divisions over displaying the work of the convicted sex offender and sect leader who died in 2013.
Protests Mark Exhibition Opening in Vienna
Two days before the scheduled opening of Otto Muehl – Kunst am Abgrund at the Wiener Aktionismus Museum, demonstrators gathered outside the institution using whistles and rattles to voice their opposition. Protest banners displayed at the site carried pointed slogans, including »WAM – Tätermuseum«, »Verantwortung statt Personenkult«, and »Wer Muehl heute verkauft, verkauft Verdrängung«.
Despite the demonstrations staged by former members of Muehl’s commune and other activists, the official opening event on the following day proceeded without disruption.
Curator Defends Decision to Display Works
Addressing the controversy surrounding the retrospective, museum director and exhibition curator Klaus Albrecht Schröder defended the institution’s decision to present the collection. Schröder acknowledged the severe wrongdoing of the artist, noting that the late creator amassed massive guilt through sexual abuse.
At the same time, Schröder argued that Muehl remains a great artist whose works should not be hidden from the public eye. Elaborating on the curatorial approach, Schröder stated that exhibiting the works must neither diminish the significance of the art because of the creator’s crimes nor relativize the crimes through the importance of the art.
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