Johann Garber

*1947, Austria

Born in Wiener Neustadt, Johann Garber was raised by his grandmother. He also spent some time in youth centres. He broke off his apprenticeship as a house painter prematurely and worked in the construction industry, also completing his military service.

He received psychiatric treatment for the first time at age 19. Since 1968, he has been practically the whole time in Gugging, living and working in the House of Artists since 1981. He produces ink drawings of a high graphical quality that are filled in completely with a variety of details. His main subjects are cityscapes, fictional architectures and animals. He also creates colourful animal pictures, and he paints everyday objects. He draws quickly and is inspired by his imagination, by visions and patterns. In addition, he transforms finished objects such as antlers into works of art by using acrylic paint. He usually works alone and without interruptions. His room is designed like an artistic installation. A reproduction of this is on view at the museum gugging. He likes communicating in personal interactions. In 2017, he was the first Gugging artist to curate an exhibition for galerie gugging. His work can be found in numerous museums, such as the American Folk Art Museum in New York, and in private collections, such as the collection of Fabio and Leo Cei, Italy, the Diamond Collection, Austria, and the collection of Helmut Zambo, Germany/Austria.

Selected works