More than 200 golden statues of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart have disappeared from an open-air exhibition in the composer’s hometown of Salzburg, leaving his 270th-birthday tribute dramatically reduced.
The installation, organized by the Mozarteum Foundation, opened on July 15 with 320 miniature figures created by German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl. Each polymer sculpture, standing about 50 centimeters tall, portrays Mozart alongside his beloved dog, Pimperl.
The statues began disappearing almost immediately. More than 80 had vanished within the first two weeks, and by Wednesday the number had reached 210.
For Hörl, the disappearance of so much of the installation was particularly painful. “The worst thing for an artist is when his work dissolves,” he told the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur. He said he doubted the statues were simply being taken as souvenirs, suggesting instead that the scale of the losses pointed to organized theft.
Ironically, the stolen sculptures are unlikely to make their new owners wealthy. Hörl planned to sell the statues for around €100 each after the exhibition ended.
The miniature Mozarts were displayed throughout the grounds of the composer’s former home, including its garden, living quarters and several pavilions. Organizers had kept a small number of replacement figures in reserve, anticipating that some might disappear. However, the losses quickly exceeded the available supply. The manufacturer was also on holiday, making it impossible to produce replacements immediately.
Despite the thefts, the exhibition is scheduled to continue until August 30, although the remaining statues now stand much farther apart, creating an unusual and increasingly sparse version of the original installation.
For Hörl, however, the experience is not entirely unfamiliar. At a previous exhibition in Bayreuth, Germany, an entire group of his sculptures depicting composer Richard Wagner was stolen within just ten days.
The artist regards theft and vandalism as unavoidable risks of placing art in public spaces. Rather than treating the incidents as an exceptional tragedy, he sees them as part of the unpredictable relationship between art and its surroundings.
Hörl’s Mozart project was never intended to be another traditional monument to the famous composer. Salzburg already has numerous statues and memorials dedicated to its most celebrated son. Instead, the artist wanted to present Mozart as a human being rather than an untouchable genius.
That idea is reflected in the choice to portray Mozart with Pimperl, the dog that accompanied him and his family on walks. The Mozarts were known to stroll through the Mirabell Garden, close to their home, with their dogs.
Born in Salzburg on January 27, 1756, Mozart remains inseparable from the city’s cultural identity. The Mozarteum Foundation preserves that legacy through concerts, museums and research.
Leave a Reply