This year marks the 40th anniversary of Thaddaeus Ropac gallery, which was founded in Salzburg in 1983. An exhibition spanning both Salzburg locations presents historic works from 1983, alongside those from 2023 created specifically for this occasion. The two sections highlight the artistic momentum of the formative years and reflect the ongoing evolution of the gallery’s programme.

The 1980s marked a transformative artistic era, considerably shaped by the dialogue between American and European contemporary art, and the first exhibitions at Thaddaeus Ropac Salzburg reflected the dynamic atmosphere and the varied range of artistic practices of that period. In 1979, the Guggenheim Museum in New York became the first American institution to hold a major solo exhibition of work by a living German artist, showing a Joseph Beuys retrospective, and in 1980, Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz represented Germany at the Venice Biennale, affirming their presence on the international stage.