Funke was one of the most important artists of the 20th century. As one of only a few other Austrian painters, her oeuvre has international importance. In 2007, her work was finally honored in an extensive exhibition in Lentos, Linz. Helene Funke’s stunning contribution to Early Expressionism as well as her work in the area of conflict of Fauvism have made her a modern classic.
She studied at the Munich Academy and then lived in Paris between 1906 and 1913, where she was in close contact with the Fauves, including Henri Matisse, André Derain, Albert Marquet, Maurice Vlaminck and Kees van Dongen. As early as 1904, she participated in exhibitions in Munich, Berlin and Dresden, followed by Paris, where she exhibited together with Matisse, Braque and Vlaminck. In 1906, she presented her works at the “Salon d’Automne”, and in 1907, 1910 and 1911 at the “Salon des Independants”.
In Vienna, Funke’s works were included in exhibitions by the Secession, the Kunstschau, at the Hagenbund and at the Künstlerhaus. In 1918, she formed part of the exhibition by the group of artists called “Bewegung [Movement]". The exhibition at the Vienna Secession with the “Freie Vereinigung [Free Association]” in 1919 brought her wide acclaim. The famous art historian Hans Tietze praised her work in an essay in 1920, and in the same year, the Austrian state purchased the painting “Music”. In the 1920s, she regularly exhibited in Vienna, receiving the Austrian State Prize in 1928. In 1948, a final large exhibition of her works was held at the Welz Gallery. She was awarded the honorary title of professor two years before her death.
Exhibitions (selection):
1904 Munich, Berlin, Dresden
1906 Salon d'Automne, Paris
1907, 1910, 1911 Salon des Indepandants, Paris
1920-1930 Hagenbund, Vienna Secession
1948 Galerie Welz, Wien
1998 Retrospective, Hieke Fine Art
2007 Retrospective, Lentos Museum, Linz
2007 Vienna- Paris, Van Gogh, Cézanne und Österreichs Moderne Belvedere Wien
2018/19 "Beyond Klimt", Belvedere Wien, BOZAR Brussels
2018 "Expressiv weiblich. Helene Funke", Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz
2019 "City of Women", Belvedere, Vienna
Works at:
Belvedere, Vienna
Vienna Museum
Collections at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna
Artothek - Federal Ministry for Education and Arts, Vienna
Albertina, Vienna
Lentos, Linz
Niederösterreichisches Landesmuseum, St. Pölten
British Museum, London
