Peter Mahler Opened his Exhibition “Mahler Malt Malher” in Vienna

On 17^th of October 2024, Peter Mahler opened his exhibition “Mahler Malt Mahler” in Grand Hotel in the heart of Vienna. Some meters away stands the Vienna State Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper), where the cousin of his grandfather Gustav Mahler led the classic music world to its new era.  

(Photo: Karla Mahler)

Born in New York, however, Peter Mahler knew nothing of this until he travelled to Europe as a young man. Neither his father nor his Jewish grandparents, who had to flee from Waldviertel in Lower Austria in 1938, wanted to be reminded of their Austrian past in the new world.

Peter studied art in the University of Applied Art (Universität für angewandte Kunst) and got his diploma in the early 1980s. The exhibition “Mahler Malt Mahler” was an homage paid to Gustav Mahler. Using “pixelism”, Peter Mahler revolutionizes the digital art scene with its unique style. The innovative approach reduces images to their minimal elements – pixels – and thus creates a form of absolute abstraction. Time and space interplay on the pictures, bringing past into present, immersing present with past. His artworks are characterized by a complex game with sound, contrast and shape, which leads to impressive portraits and abstract compositions.

Besides Gustav Mahler, Peter Mahler shaped iconic personalities such as Mona Lisa, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein and Che Guevara. He captures the essence of these famous figures’ character through the reduction and manipulation of pixels, thus giving them a new, almost indestructible shape. On the exhibition in Vienna, visitors can enjoy the technique used on depicting Sigmund Freud, Mona Lisa, Bill Gates and more.

Meanwhile, Mahler’s oil paintings show his innovative approach and championship in traditional techniques, too. He often uses bare hands to manipulate the color and create tactile, visually appealing surfaces. This direct method gives art an immediacy and physicality. Its use of green and blue tones causes natural elements and emotional depth, while the plant-like structures and energy waves reflect a deep connection to nature in its compositions.

Peter Mahler’s works have found international recognition and were presented at numerous exhibitions worldwide. The next exhibition in Vienna will be 17^th of November. The venue is again Grand Hotel.