Johann Hauser

The Gugging artist with whom Arnulf Rainer engaged most extensively was Johann Hauser (1926–1996). Drawings on Ultraphan, such as "The Fly Eater" or "Michaelangelo Eating Flowers" from 1966, were created in direct imitation of Hauser's clearly contoured figures. Based on these Ultraphan drawings, Rainer produced offset lithographs, some of which he later reworked. 

The overpainting of "The Fly Eater" is one of the highlights of the exhibition "Arnulf Rainer & Art Brut".

Rainer's admiration for Hauser's art is also reflected in his essay "But What is Johann Hauser?", which he wrote for Leo Navratil's 1978 monograph *Johann Hauser: Art from Mania and Depression*, and which is on display in the exhibition space.

Leo Navratil sent his Hauser monograph to Jean Dubuffet, the originator of the term "Art Brut." Dubuffet thanked Navratil in a letter and expressed his highest admiration for Johann Hauser's art. The Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne, founded by Dubuffet, houses key works by the artist, such as *Queen Elisabeth* from 1969.

Today, Hauser is one of the world's most famous representatives of Art Brut. His trademark is the so-called "Hauser Star," always in Prussian blue, which has become the emblem of the Gugging Museum and can also be seen in the exhibition "Arnulf Rainer & Art Brut."