Sculpture Installation by Ottmar Hörl in the Mirabell Garden: 400 Golden Mozarts Celebrate the Genius’s 270th Birthday in Summer

In cooperation with the International Mozarteum Foundation, the renowned German conceptual artist Ottmar Hörl is realizing one of his well-known figurative projects in Salzburg.

Mid-July to the end of August 2026

Around 400 Mozarts will take over the Mirabell Garden this summer: with the sculpture installation Mozart – The Untamable Genius, the International Mozarteum Foundation celebrates the 270th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart together with the people of Salzburg and visitors from all over the world. Approximately 400 gold-colored Mozart figures, each about 50 cm tall and made of weather-resistant plastic, will populate the two narrow lawns in the Bastion/Museum Pavilion area. A smaller group will also appear at Mozart Residence, the Magic Flute Pavilion, and in the garden of the Mozarteum. The overall installation, on view from mid-July to the end of August, makes art accessible to everyone—a principle for which the artist is internationally known through his serial sculptures.

“What we initiated last year with an exhibition by Jonathan Meese at the Mozart Residence, we are now continuing as a series with this sculpture installation by Ottmar Hörl: connecting Mozart with contemporary artistic practice, as his work and personality remain a source of inspiration and a driving force for subsequent generations of artists,” explains Linus Klumpner, Managing Director of the Mozarteum Foundation. He adds: “A special feature of the current project is that it not only takes place in museums but, thanks to the support of the City of Salzburg, will also activate public space. This offers a unique opportunity to inspire guests from all over the world beyond museum walls and to provide access to Mozart’s work on an entirely new level.”

Ottmar Hörl is considered one of the leading European conceptual artists. His aim is to enable people of all generations to participate in art and culture. To this day, Hörl creates identity-forming, high-impact public installations in cooperation with various European cities, including numerous works honoring the outstanding achievements of significant figures such as Richard Wagner in Bayreuth, Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn, Albert Einstein in Ulm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in Frankfurt am Main, Arthur Rimbaud in Charleville-Mézières, Bertolt Brecht in Augsburg, and Albrecht Dürer in Nuremberg, Vienna, and Daegu, South Korea. A pink Dürer hare on the roof of the Albertina caused a sensation in 2014.

Mozart – The Untamable Genius: Sculpture Installation by Ottmar Hörl

The idea of realizing an art project dedicated to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has occupied Ottmar Hörl for quite some time. “Salzburg, as Mozart’s birthplace, is the ideal location to honor the anniversary—the 270th birthday of the genius—with a temporary art installation,” says the artist. The close connection between Mozart and Salzburg forms the basis for the choice of location and gives the project its particular contextual depth.

“The conceptual approach not only places Mozart’s musical work at the center but also brings his human side more strongly into focus. Music serves as a unifying element and has a healing effect,” explains Ottmar Hörl. “However, not only music played an important role in the Mozart family, but also their beloved dog named Pimperl, who is mentioned dozens of times in the family’s correspondence.” Mozart’s affinity for animals becomes evident here, and thus the serial figure depicts Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart together with a small dog. The monochrome gold sculpture presents Mozart with dignity: his right hand extended casually and elegantly, his left hand gently and affectionately resting on the dog’s head, which nestles closely against him.

“This concept is not about a traditional monument, but rather about a work that generates impulses, functions as a model of communication, invites discourse, brings people into conversation, and connects people and places. Through the serial system, the idea develops that anyone can participate in this artistic concept. This corresponds to the fundamental idea of democratic equality that underlies educational institutions such as museums,” Hörl concludes.

Since the transition from public to private space is part of the artistic concept, Mozart fans will have the opportunity to purchase an original figure from the installation at the end of the exhibition.