Greta Freist is one of the great Austrian artists of the 20th century. Her works range from magic realism to surrealism and abstract painting. In 1950, together with Gottfried Goebel, she founded the French section of the “Art Club” in Paris.
Freist studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under Rudolf Bacher and Rudolf Jettmar. She shared a studio with Gottfried Goebel and Heimito von Doderer, which became a literary meeting point. Elias Canetti and Otto Basil were frequent visitors. She relocated to Paris in 1936. As early as 1937, her works were exhibited at the Salon d‘Automne. Her paintings became abstract from around 1949. Later on, she returned to figurative themes.
In 1954 and 1955, her works were present at the Salon des Realités Nouvelles and in 1959, they formed part of a group exhibition in Mannheim. The Vienna City Cultural Offices dedicated an exhibition to her in 1961, and as a member of the artists’ group “Der Kreis [The Circle]”, she presented her work at several events. In 1991, the Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum [Lower Austria Regional Museum] presented the artist in a solo exhibition.
Works at:
Belvedere, Vienna
City of Vienna Cultural Department
Vienna Museum
Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum [Lower Austria Regional Museum], St. Pölten
Rupertinum, Salzburg
