A Unique Viennese Collection of Art | by Ida Salamon

An exclusive interview with
David Ungar-Klein
By Ida Salamon

It began 15 years ago as a spontaneous idea, during the Vienna Congress Com.sult organized by David Ungar-Klein. Over the years, some of the participants of the annual congress – very prominent, influential guests and Nobel prize laureates, people without artistic experiences, but with strong imaginations – were asked to paint what moved them deeply.

Using acrylic colors or pens, wearing long coats which resembled that of the famous painter Gustav Klimt at the turn of the last century, these famous personalities created a collection of outstanding artworks.

Art Market Magazine: You told us that at the time, you had not yet had thought of asking your first speaker at the Congress, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, to create a painting. You also forgot to ask the then President of Israel, Shimon Peres, about that. When did it all begin? What was the idea behind the project?

David Ungar-Klein: The speakers at the Vienna Congress are well-known people, who bring standards to new heights in their field and are key-players that drive and enable progress in our world. It was a spontaneous idea originating from a conversation in 2005 that made manager of the century, Jack Welch, personally paint a picture for me.
He told me that he had never attempted artistic activities before. I asked him to think of something extraordinary. He should use color on a canvas and with that expresses what moves him, looking deep in his heart, and what has a special place in his life.
The work features a red foundation, which Welch painted with acrylic paint and rough brush strokes.
He then painted a white arrow and a dot in a circle. With his work, Welch achieved a strong symbolic effect: the arrow can be interpreted as, maybe, a kind of a home, and the dot in a circle as a target. As a top-class manager, it was important for Welch to have a high degree of focus and concentration in order to pursue his goals. The aggressive red underground of his work can be interpreted here as the way he runs his company, but the clear lines represent determination.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have an idea of creating “Artistic Signatures” one year earlier when Bill Gates was my guest.
In 2006 I was so profoundly captured by impressive moments and conversations with Shimon Peres, that I simply forgot to ask him to paint a picture.

A.M.: All these people are not artists, and they have incredibly busy schedules. How did you manage to convince them to take the time to paint?

D.U.K: The creators of these artworks are all highly analytical and extremely rational people – quite the opposite of creative artists. They work a lot; they are always on the way; their schedule is constantly full. The fact that they take the time to think of something, paint a picture, try a few things until a finished work is finally completed is something extraordinary for these people too, which, for that reason, has a unique meaning to them. Most of these people have never attempted artistic activities. As a rule, I ask people to express what moves and deeply concerns them.
To name a few examples, Nobel Laureate in chemistry, Dan Shechtman, painted “Innovation Tree”; Carl Djerassi, “father of the pill,” painted a picture under the title
“The Intellectual Bigamist”; Disney C.E.O. Michael Eisner, painted a “Mickey Mouse”; politician Tzipi Livni the “Dove of Peace on the David Star with Justicia”; Nobel laureate in chemistry, Ada Yonath, painted a “Happy Ribosome”; the Czech President, Vaclav Klaus – the “Migration of People”; President and Nobel laureate for Peace, Frederik Willem de Klerk, painted the “Colorful bird in the Colors of the South African State”; former German politician,
Hans-Dietrich Genscher – “A Yellow House”; and astronaut Buzz Aldrin painted “Mission to Mars”.

A.M: What is the procedure? How long does it take for you to receive a painting?

D.U.K.: For more than 15 years, I have been asking those who are especially important to me, to paint with acrylic colors or pens. As the only requirement, I ask them to think about something that moves them inside, which has a special place in their lives.
The process of painting takes between 30 minutes and two hours. A large majority complied with this personal request; more than 100 paintings have been created in various formats.

A.M.: Did you contact any experts in the art market to value the paintings?

D.U.K.: The collection does not see itself as historical art, but it is a historically significant collection that now consists of several hundred artifacts. In order to make it possible for the paintings to be available to the public, art experts recently recommended the catalog and inventory of the artifacts as the “David Ungar-Klein Collection”.
Many of the painters have never attempted artistic creation before. This first attempt mostly reflects what moves and deeply concerns a person.
The collection with all the pictures, dedicated photos, and books as well as souvenirs are a precious contemporary document, unique and therefore not repeatable since some of the painters have passed away.

These images are accompanied by photographs that document the process of creation and the handover of the finished work.

A.M.: When did you first create the conference, and what was your goal at the time?

D.U.K.: Building bridges and connecting people are not only one of my biggest strengths, but also quite essential skills in my everyday life. Maybe not everything can be solved through discussions, but the conversations are often key-drivers for solutions.
In 1814/15, The Vienna Congress paved the way for reorganizing the world after years of war and conflicts.
My ambitions were to move Vienna into the spotlight of global affairs in the long term by creating a real “world congress” and inviting international personalities and visionaries from several fields – politics, business, sports, sciences, and media – in order to exchange ideas and information in Vienna, consciously creating associations with the historical event that happened 200 years ago.
What started in 2004, as a one-day event with Microsoft co-founder, Bill Gates, has now, 17 years later, turned into a five-day congress with around 100 international speakers and more than 1000 visitors.

A.M.: What kind of feedback do you get?

D.U.K.: The expression of appreciation and positive feedback can already be seen in the meetings of the advisory bodies in program design, in discussions with speakers and guests and in the preparation of The Vienna Declaration, which represents the result of the Vienna Congress and presents recommendations with clear guidelines for future European development.
The Vienna Congress is a unique event, as it brings together personalities from a broad range of disciplines who would otherwise never meet. Ministers meet Olympic champions, presidents meet Nobel laureates, “high potentials”, and entrepreneurs meet top managers, visionaries, and lateral thinkers.
For me, several moments will remain unforgettable: the never-ending standing ovation for President Shimon Peres, tears in the eyes of astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the awarding of the Lifetime Achievement Award, “Golden Arrow”, or when the recently deceased C.E.O. of General Electrics, Jack Welch, spontaneously painted a picture for me. Furthermore, the audience cheered Nobel laureate Eric Kandel when he started singing the song “Vienna, City of My Dreams” during his speech.

A.M: Do you receive criticism regarding some of your more-controversial guests being part of the conference and art-collection project?

D.U.K.: Criticism is an essential part of the dialogue and the process of building bridges. Especially in a democratic country, different opinions should be heard and discussed. The Vienna Congress is a place for a variety of different views. Therefore, polarizing personalities are welcome.
In general, I think that exclusion is never a positive thing. You have to talk to people. That doesn’t mean that you have to integrate them, but you always have to seek dialogue. The Vienna Congress is strongly connected to this principle.

A.M.: How do you manage to gather so many influential people at the same time? This must be quite a logistical challenge!

D.U.K.: Every beginning is difficult! It all started with a brilliant speech by Bill Gates, which was followed, one year later, by Jack Welch, President Shimon Peres, and Oscar-winner, Francis Ford Coppola.
Since then, hundreds of internationally renowned lecturers have followed, including media mogul, Steve Forbes, Israeli politician Avigdor Liberman, numerous Nobel laureates as well as Mark Spitz, one of the most successful Olympic athletes of all time and many more.
There are plenty possible reasons for the conference’s success: Whether it may have been the typical “Viennese charm,” exciting workshops, background talks behind closed doors, high-level panels, dancing to the sounds of Johann Strauss at the Vienna Medical Doctor’s Ball, or even the Wiener Schnitzels, which served as the common denominator in all of this.
In any case, many of the personalities come year after year to exchange views with other experts, pioneers, and lateral thinkers on critical questions, current issues, and the challenges of our time.

A.M: You talked about what drives some of your influential guests, but what is it that drives you? What is your motto? And, are you planning an exhibition of your collection any time soon?

D.U.K: “Viribus Unitis” – simply because you can achieve more with combined forces. Particularly right now, in challenging times, it is essential to share and exchange skills and potential instead of using it against others.
Of course, pictures and contemporary documents should be seen, and of course, I’m thinking about exhibiting them. The collection is already being observed with great interest in Austria and abroad. Museums and exhibition centers have also shown keen interest in displaying them.
In 2011 some paintings by Olympic champion Mark Spitz were displayed in the Jewish Museum of the City of Vienna. The paintings are currently being framed, a professional catalog will follow, and temporary exhibitions are planned.

Read the full Interview Article on Art Market Magazine Issue #47