André Heller

Genius Loci- Arte Topiaria, 1993

Artwork Brief Description

Heller’s *Genius Loci* is a living sculpture—an oversized topiary bust that seamlessly blends with the surrounding landscape. Positioned with a breathtaking view of Lake Garda, its striking blue eyes command attention and invite contemplation. The work reflects Heller’s philosophy of integrating art with nature, as seen in his Marrakech garden, *Anima*. He views gardens as living expressions of art, blending natural beauty with human creativity.

Genius Loci- Arte Topiaria, 1993

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André Heller (Austrian b. 1947) Genius Loci- Arte Topiaria, 1993

André Heller was born in Vienna in 1947. He’s among the world’s most influential and successful multi-media artists.

His achievements encompass garden artwork, chambers of wonder, prose publications and processions including a revival of circus and vaudeville, selling millions of records as a chansonnier of his own songs, amazing flying and swimming sculptures, the avant-garde amusement park Luna Luna, films, fire spectacles, and labyrinths as well as stage plays and shows that have entertained audiences from Broadway to the Vienna Burgtheater, from India to China, and from South America to Africa.

André Heller lives in Vienna, Marrakesh, and on the road.

André Heller (Austrian b. 1947) Genius Loci - Arte Topiaria, 1993

Heller’s “Genius Loci” is a sculpture that encapsulates Heller’s artistic ethos perfectly. Both charming and thought provoking in equal measure, this oversized topiary in the shape of a human bust challenges our perceptions of that which is found within nature. The ivy seemingly grows in the form of a man, perfectly positioned at one of the highest points of the garden with a view to the magnificent Lake Garda below.

The height of Heller’s creation perfectly blends with the surrounding foliage, and from the lower terraces of the garden, the artwork could easily be mistaken for a natural bush. Of course, when facing the piece directly, the piercingly bright blue eyes are hard to miss. Their gaze is both directly at the viewer and down to the lake below it.

Large blue eyes become a motif in Heller’s practice, and they are found once more in a very similar piece in his “Anima” garden in Marrakech. For Heller, the creation of a work like this is crucial to the interplay of art and nature within the garden. He describes his love of the garden beautifully in the quote below:

“Ferns a metre high next to wonderful pomegranates and waterfalls, ponds with koi carp, trout and images of the flight of dragonflies, hills in dolomite stone next to cactus and towers covered with ivy. Indian and Moroccan sculptures in harmony with installations by Roy Lichtenstein, Susanne Schmögner, Mimmo Paladino, and Keith Haring. When I look at one of the balconies of my villa, the majesty of Lake Garda, or one of my bamboo groves, it is always hard to believe that this park has wanted me as its keeper and ally, and I thank him as much as I can, with love.”

- André Heller