ARCH 12
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THE SHIP REGENTAG

Built in 1910 as motorboat in wood 11.90 m long and 3.85m wide, with an immersion of 1.17m, holding 12.39 tons.
Bought by the artist in 1968 and transformed at the ship yard Menetto Pompilio in Pelestrina, Venice. He changed the name from "S. Giuseppe T" to "Regentag".
Measure after rebuilding: Length c. 16.6 m; width c. 4.5 m; heigth c. 4.65 m.

1968 - 1974

Friedensreich Hundertwasser chose Regentag as his third name, later he also called himself Dunkelbunt (Colours Glowing in the Dark). For Hundertwasser the Regentag was a significant phase of his life. It was his home, his country, his headquarters. He lived and painted on it for ten years. Moreover it is the scarcely noticed nautical deed of a painter.

Hundertwasser has been fascinated by ships since he was a child and dreamed up ships in his paintings: The "Singing Steamers", the "Mouthboats", the portholes, ships from the front, steamers' smokestacks ets. are recurring motifs in his paintings.

Acquired in 1968 in Palermo as a Sicilian-Tunisian transport ship by the name of "San Guiseppe T", it was sailed to Venice by Hundertwasser and captain Mimmo. Seven years of refurbishing (1968-1974) with captain Antonio in the shipyards of Palermo, Pellestrina, Portegrandi, Malcontenta, Portoferraio, La Goulette and Malta were Hundertwasser's first years of practical apprenticeship in archtiecture. There were similar problems and discussions as with his later architecture. Hundertwasser lengthened the ship from 12 to 16,6 metres, rounded out the hull, set two masts, redesigned the bow and stern, and gave the superstructure a creative, asymmetrical appearance. After trial voyages to Dalmatia, Sicily, Corsica, Elba, Malta, Tunis, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus and Israel, the Regentag proved its seaworthiness by a voyage to the Antipodes, sailing in 18 months, under captain Horst Wächter, with no problems from Venice via Malta, Gibraltar, the West Indies, Panama, the Galapagos and Tahiti to New Zealand. Hundertwasser was himself captain on board in the Mediterranean, in the Caribbean and on the final stretch Tahiti - Rarotonga - Kermadec Islands - Auckland - Bay of Islands. Since that time the Regentag has been in the care of captain Andrew Fagan.

 

In 1999-2000 in Opua, New Zealand, Hundertwasser had the boat coated with ferro-cement, redid the wheel house and decorated the waterline with tiles. All work was done at the Asby's Boat Yard, Opua, Bay of Islands.

In 2004 the Regentag was transported per cargo to Europe and was a part of the exhibition "Hundertwasser. Art - Person - Nature" in the former Abbey (Minoritenkloster) in Tulln, Lower Austria. Since that time the Regentag has been lain at anchor there at the Danube.

By decision of 11 August 2015 of the Austrian Federal Monuments Office under President Dr. Ing. Barbara Neubauer the ship was declared a historic monument.
In 2018, extensive repair work started on the conservation of the ship
and will be completed in June 2024.


mehr weniger
  • KunstHausWien, Vienna, 2011
  • Minoritenkloster, Tulln, 2018
  • Hundertwasser Regentag, Munich, 1972
  • P. Restany, Hundertwasser, New York, 1978, p. 21 (b), 30 (b)
  • H. Brockstedt (Ed.), Ao Tea Roa, Hamburg, 1979, p. 32-47 (c, b)
  • H. Rand, Hundertwasser - Der Maler, Munich, 1986, p. 162 (b)
  • R. Koyanagi (Ed.), Mujinkan 1 - Hundertwasser, Tokyo, 1988, p. 53 (b)
  • Y. Shirakura (Ed.), Shinchosha's Super Artists: Hundertwasser, Japan, 1991, p. 76 (b)
  • H. Rand, Hundertwasser, Cologne, 1991, p. 136 (b) and ed. 1993, p. 116 (b)
  • Hundertwasser Architektur, Cologne, 1996, p. 302 (c) and ed. 2006, pp. 301 (c), 310/311 (and c)
  • P. Restany, Die Macht der Kunst, Hundertwasser - Der Maler-König mit den fünf Häuten, Cologne, 1998, p. 65 (c) and ed. 2018, p. 64 (c)
  • R. Schediwy, Hundertwassers Häuser, Vienna, 1999, p. 25 (c), 240
  • W. Schmied, Hundertwasser 1928-2000, Catalogue Raisonné, Cologne, 2000, Vol. I, p. 34 (c)
  • A. C. Fürst, Hundertwasser 1928-2000, Catalogue Raisonné, Cologne, 2002, Vol. II, pp. 1179-1181 (and c)
  • B. Stieff, Hundertwasser für Kinder, Munich, 2007, pp. 80/81 (c)
  • Mein Kunstmalbuch, Phantasiereisen mit Hundertwasser, Munich, 2008, p. 26 (c)
  • G. Illetschko, Planet Hundertwasser, Munich, 2012, pp. 116-117 (b and c), 121 (c)
  • C. Wiesauer, 100 x Hundertwasser, Vienna, 2016, p. 54 (c)
  • R. Fleck, Kunst und Natur, Vienna, 2016, p. 46 (c)
  • Artcurial, Paris, 1982, p. 58 (b)
  • Congresshalle Saarbrücken, 1999, p. 26 (b)
  • Lokschuppen Rosenheim, 1999, p. 26 (b)
  • Bahnhof Uelzen, Uelzen, 2000, p. 28 (b)
  • Konzert- und Bühnenhaus Kevelaer, Kevelaer, 2002, p. 23 (b)
  • Salzstadel, Regensburg, 2003, p. 23 (b)
  • Benrather Karree, Dusseldorf, 2003, p. 23 (b)
  • Minoritenkloster, Tulln, 2004, p. 148 - 149 (c)
  • Neue Ausstellungshalle am Rathaus, Dillingen/Saar, 2005, p. 23 (b)
  • Schloss Fachsenfeld, Aalen, 2006, p. 23 (b)
  • CongressCentrum Böblingen, 2007, p. 23 (b)
  • A Magical Eccentric, Szépmüvészeti Múzeum, Budapest, 2007, p. 40 (c)
  • Leaflet, Stadtgemeinde Tulln, Tulln, 2008 (c)
  • Der unbekannte Hundertwasser, KunstHausWien, Vienna, 2008, p. 219 (c)
  • HW-Die Kunst des grünen Weges, KunstHausWien, Vienna, 2011, pp. 135-142 (and c) and Back end-papers (b)
  • Neustädtisches Palais, Schwerin, 2009, p. 23 (b)
  • ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, Ishoj, 2014, p. 91 (c)
  • Hundertwasser Lebenslinien, Osthaus Museum, Hagen, 2015, pp. 86/87 (c)
  • Eric C. Hiscock, Come Aboard, Oxford, 1978, pl. (c) and pp. 160-163
  • Mobil Oil Austria AG (Ed.), Österreicher die der Welt gehören, Vienna, 1979, p. 90 (c)
  • W. Koschatzky (ed.), Druckgraphik Heute, Offenbach am Main, 1990, p. 174 (b)
  • B. De Coster, Kinder entdecken Hundertwasser, Horneburg, 2003 and ed. 2005, p. 7 (c)
  • Leaflet, Stadtgemeinde Tulln, Tulln (c)
  • St. Pelloni, Hundertwasser, un incontro magico, Ravenna, 2010 (c)
  • A. Arban / F. Bisutti / M. Celotti et. al. (ed.), Personaggi stravaganti a Venezia tra '800 e '900, Venice, 2011, p. 26 (b)
  • Michael Roe, Maritime Governance and Policy Making, London, 2013, pp. 380, 381
  • Diário de Notícias, Funchal, Dec. 14, 1975
  • Le peintre et son bateau, in: La Depêche de Tahiti, July 3, 1976, front page and p. 9 (b)
  • Regentag Lightens Rainy Weather, in: The New Zealand Herald, Auckland, Nov. 30, 1976, front page
  • Twin masted vessels vie for honours, in: Northern Advocat, Whangarei, Jan. 10, 1978
  • ZEITmagazin, no. 41, Oct. 5, 1979, Hamburg, pp. 60/61 (c)
  • Heinz Drstak, Hundertwasser und sein hochseetüchtiges Gemälde, in: boote, Das Wassersportmagazin, Feb. 1980, p. 20-24 (c, b)
  • yacht revue, no. 12, Dec. 1981, front page and p. 20/21
  • NZ Herald, Jan. 10, 1983 (Russell Boating Club's Tall Ships Trophy Race)
  • Art, no. 11, Nov. 1983, Hamburg, p. 35 (c)
  • Natur + Umwelt, no. 1, 1999, Regensburg, p. 27 (c)
  • Impression, no. 480, May, 2000, Japan, p. 42 (c)
  • Kurier, April 14, 2004, p. 15 (c)
  • Thies Matzen, Friedensreich Hundertwasser - Ein Bild von einem Schiff, in: Spiegel, Sep. 4, 2004 (c)
  • Neue Kronen Zeitung, Aug. 29, 2004, p. 18 (c)
  • Thies Matzen, 100Wasser sind 1 Meer, in: Mare, no. 45, Aug/Sep. 2005 (c)
  • Seeblick, no. 90, summer 2011 (c)
  • Spike Art Magazine, no. 41, autumn, 2014, p. 169 (c)
  • Mairitim, no. 60, Sept. 2015, Vienna, Backcover (c)
  • Mairitim, no. 60, Sept. 2015, Vienna, p. 24-25 (c)
  • Ecovision21, No. 155, September 2016, Seoul, p. 20 (c)
  • Hundertwasser 2004 Calendar, Taschen, Cologne
  • Postcard, Verlag Kellner (c)