The ex-chairman of the National Council caused a stir with the purchase of two valuable pieces from Erwin Wurm. Sobotka advocates low costs and points to frugality in the field of cultural goods compared to Germany.
During the final, Parliament experienced a real Sobotka classic. 24 hours before his departure as national president, vans were parked in the driveway of Parliament. Two life-size sculptures by internationally recognized Austrian artist Erwin Wurm were unloaded and have now found their place in front of the colonnade.
Sobotka’s farewell gift cost the parliament 240,000 euros (excluding sales tax) – Sobotka decided to buy it himself, as the parliamentary management confirmed a report from “Newsflix” to krone.at.
“It’s a little thing”
This was a topic of discussion on the day the 183 MPs were sworn in. Sobotka justified the purchase and went to the “Krone” alone. He sees it as a ‘petitesse’ and has no ‘bad conscience’. The budget would have been there anyway. During the renovation of parliament, 0.5 percent of the general renovation budget was reserved for the purchase of art.
Spend less than Germans
But only 0.35 percent of them have been exploited so far. “That is in any case much less than the German Bundestag spends on art. In Germany the budget for art in buildings was two percent. 0.5 percent is modest for a cultural country like Austria,” said Sobotka.
In addition, a contemporary sculpture by Erwin Wurm was originally planned for the forecourt of the parliament, but this could not be realized after the renovation for technical reasons. That is why we started looking for an alternative project. Sobotka sees the purchase as a perfect investment for parliament.
The purchase “was justified”
“Galerie Ropac is asking for 600,000 euros for these two sculptures. Parliament received it directly from the artist for 240,000 euros. The value will certainly increase,” the ex-chairman of the National Council is convinced. There is also a written recommendation from Hans Peter Wipplinger, art curator of parliament, to purchase these sculptures. Because of this history, the former chairman of the National Council concluded that it was justified to go it alone.
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.
