Nikolaus Eberstaller

Nikolaus Eberstaller was born in Klosterneuburg (Austria) in 1968. From 1989 to 1994 he studied architecture at the Technical University of Vienna. Although he did not finish his studies, he became a freelance graphic designer in Gols. In June 1999 his first book of grotesque drawings was published. His father`s early death in October of the same year has a major influence on his artistic development. For years working as a draftsman, he is now orientated to expressive painting. In 2001 the work group Fashion and Foolishness is being created, which criticizes Eberstaller`s thematized conflict of outer appearance and inner truth. In the summer Eberstaller met for the first time Peter Infeld, one of the biggest art collectors in Austria. He invited Eberstaller to participate in an exhibition in his gallery and buys in the following years a number of his works from his studio.

In December 2001 Eberstaller meets, not accidentally, the owner of a castle Thomas Gamperl, fundator of the Arts Foundation Forum Castle Krasków in Polish Silesia. The experience density around Gamperl and his companions mark the 33-year old Eberstaller who falls for the first time into the orbit of his greatest desires – the lifestyle of the former 20`s to 50`s art of the last century. The Time Machine seems to have pulled him in his dream world. In 2003 he received a scholarship from the Foundation Forum Krasków and takes the large event hall as a studio. While in Poland the work groups Krasków I – IV are being made, Eberstaller dedicates himself to public art in Austria.

The most impressive of these works is produced for the design bar MOLE WEST on the shore of Neusiedle Lake, for which Eberstaller not only designs the corporate design but also wraps the building in its spherical dancing northern light. In the following years Eberstaller has exhibitions in Krakow, Wroclaw, Berlin and Austria. In 2004 Eberstaller gets seriously ill. During the recovery from the artificial coma in the Rudolf Foundation Vienna fragmentary sketches arise, experiences at first hand. This work leads to the works group THE REAL LIFE COLLECTION, representing these experiences in digital composites and at regular intervals document the life of the artist. After recovering the bronzes Red Cherub and Naked Man I and II are poured into poses. In 2005, the 30sqm Secoo ‘Seven Emotions’ for the winemakers and restaurateurs couple Heidi and Josef Lentsch – Guest house for Gratitude – is created. In 2006 he created ‘Cocoon’ as public art for the gourmet restaurant at the Nyikonospark of Fritz Tösch. In 2007 Eberstaller designs an artful guest room for the hotelier Wolfgang Stündl and his top chef Gerald Jeitler. The year 2009 looks promising: Art for the mii-AG and in the following years solo exhibitions in Austria, Germany and Poland.