Fritz Wotruba's Concrete Church Rediscovered at Belvedere 21

Fritz Wotruba's only architectural work, the Wotrubakirche in Vienna, is the subject of a new exhibition at Belvedere 21. The church, completed in 1976, consists of 135 concrete blocks and was initially controversial for its brutalist, asymmetrical design. The show 'Wotruba. Himmelwärts' (Wotruba. Towards Heaven), curated by Gabriele Stöger-Spevak, documents the project's genesis through sketches, models, and photographs. The church was commissioned in 1964 for a Carmelite convent in Steinbach, but only the church was built on Georgenberg hill. Wotruba died in 1975, a year before completion; architect Fritz Gerhard Mayr assisted with execution. The original stone monoliths were replaced with concrete blocks due to cost. The interior features a bronze crucifix by Wotruba and natural light from multiple openings. The exhibition runs until March 13, 2022.