After renting a golden grand piano for a lot of money two years ago in his role as Chairman of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka is now once again putting his artistic stamp on the House as a kind of farewell gift. And it costs a lot again.
The outgoing chairman of the National Council, Wolfgang Sobotka, is said to have a certain artistic passion. In this case, however, it is less a matter of musical enjoyment, but with one of his last formative decisions Sobotka moves into the sphere of visual art.
The farewell costs 240,000 euros
As the parliamentary management confirmed to krone.at, Sobotka had purchased only two sculptures from the ‘Skins’ series by the well-known Austrian artist Erwin Wurm in his capacity on Tuesday. How much does that cost? Per image 120,000 euros, so a total of 240,000 euros – of course excluding sales tax.
As “Newsflix” first reported, this was a solo effort by Sobotka. “The purchase of these sculptures falls under the formal decision-making framework of a chairman of the National Council,” the parliamentary management explains. You can no longer revoke: “The purchase was made contractually and is legally binding.”
The question is how long works of art will remain in parliament
From now on, “Bein-Bein” and “Arm-Bein”, as the creator called his works, will decorate the entrances to the portico. How long remains to be seen, as further consideration of the works of art in the coming legislative periods is reserved for the respective chairman of the National Council.
Sobotka’s successor – in all likelihood Walter Rosenkranz – might have different taste in art; and the sculptures disappear again quite quickly.
Memories of golden wings
It is not the first time that Sobotka has brought his personal taste to Parliament. It was not until 2022 that there was great excitement when he rented a golden Bösendorfer grand piano worth around 200,000 euros – this was also put on display for visitors in the newly renovated colonnade. The contract has now been canceled and the piano has been removed again.
At the time, critics saw the investment as a waste of taxpayers’ money, given tight budgets and public austerity measures. Sobotka himself defended the purchase as a cultural investment to be able to use the parliament as an event location. However, there is still no official statement regarding his new addition.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
