The temporary intervention Lueger Temporär consists of true-to-scale, fragmentary outlines of all currently known memorials or monuments to the former mayor of the city, Karl Lueger (1897-1910). Our aim is to contribute to a critical reassessment of the anti-Semitic politician.
Today we are aware of a total of 16 such monuments. In Vienna’s public space – on facades, in parks, on bridges and at the cemetery – they are spread across the districts. Only four of them have been contextualized. As a rule, they have remained uncommented. In the important current debate about Lueger’s self-stylization in public space, however, this network spanning the city is rarely discussed.
With the intervention Lueger Temporär at Dr. Karl-Lueger-Platz – the place where the debate is currently concentrated and negotiated – in the run-up to the announcement of a permanent artistic installation for this location, a visible reference to – and thus the opportunity for a comprehensive discussion on – the almost aggressive presence of these questionable tributes to Lueger to this day.
For Lueger Temporär, the contours of the memorials are made from thin slats and painted in different colours. The choice of material emphasises the provisional, non-honouring character of the installation. Their delicate appearance is an antithesis to the solemn monumentality of the figure currently visible on the square.
The installation depicts the contours of the following monuments of honour and memorials:
- 1896 Lueger-Hof, Selzergasse 20-22, 15. District – uncommented
- 1903 Porträtrelief, Schule Haizingergasse 37, 18. District
- 1904 Brunnen am Siebenbrunnenplatz, 5. District – uncommented
- 1906 Denkmal in Lainz, Lainzer Pflegeheim, vor Pavillon XIV, Versorgungsheimplatz 1, 13. District – uncommented
- 1904–09 Karl-Borromäus-Brunnen, Karl Borromäusplatz 1, 3. District – uncommented
- 1906 Leuchtobelisk am Mariahilfer Gürtel, 6. District – uncommented
- 1910 Friedhofskirche zum heiligen Karl Borromäus, Zentralfriedhof, 11. District – uncommented
- 1910 Toranlage, Zentralfriedhof, 11. Bezirk – uncommented
- 1910 Große Reliefplastik, Schule Graf Starhemberggasse 8-10, 4. District – uncommented
- 1911 Porträtrelief, Wohnhaus Penzingerstraße 72, 14. District – uncommented
- 1913 Roland Brunnen, Lainz, 13. District – uncommented
- 1915 Büste, Cobenzl, 19. District – uncommented
- 1926 Benennung des Platzes an der Ringstraße als Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Platz, 1. District – uncommented, und Bronzestatue auf Steinsockel, Dr.-Karl-Lueger-Platz, 1. District
- 1936 Gedenktafel Hamburgerstraße 9, 5. District – uncommented
- 1944 Gedenktafel TU, Karlsplatz 13, 4. District
- 1955 Brücke, Albert-Schweitzer-Gasse / Badgasse, 14. District