Roland Göschl’s sculpture on the flat roof of the TU Vienna institute building in the Freihausviertel is one of the highest-profile works of art within Vienna’s urban space. It features the complementary colours red, yellow and blue, like many of the artist’s works, and resembles building blocks that have been precariously stacked on top of one another. The sculpture is made of metal that was soldered together in the workshop and installed on the building’s flat roof in one piece.
Roland Göschl is an Austrian sculptor, painter and art historian. From 1972 he held a professorship at the Institute of Art and Design at the TU Wien (Vienna University of Technology). Between 1989 and 1991 he was the institute’s director, after which he was deputy director until his retirement in 2000. He is considered an important figure of the Austrian avant-garde scene after 1945. A student of Austrian sculptor Fritz Wotruba, he became known to a wide audience through the advertisements for the Austrian shoe retailer Humanic in the 1970s. On top of that, he took part in the documenta in Kassel twice, and in 1968 his works were shown at the Venice Biennale.
Because the layers of paint faded and peeled off considerably over time, the sculpture was restored in the summer of 2019. To begin with, the different layers of paint were tested and sampled, and further examinations carried out. It was also necessary to establish whether the flat roof, which dates back to the 1980s, would be able to withstand the weight load of the scaffolding required for the restoration, and the enormous wind load. Following a review of the statics and renovation of the concrete base, the restoration itself commenced.
As of autumn 2019 the sculpture has been restored to its former glory and its vibrant primary colours again catch the eye of anyone passing by.