When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition can be seen from October 8 to October 30, 2026, in the exhibition hall of the New Town Hall Bayreuth.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the New Town Hall, Exhibition Hall, Luitpoldplatz 13, 95444 Bayreuth.

Which artists will be shown?

Works by artists Christin Breuil and Manfred Leirer from Burgenland will be displayed.

What can visitors expect in terms of content?

The exhibition combines the poetically abstracted painting of Christin Breuil with the materially focused encaustic and other painterly positions of Manfred Leirer.

Is the entrance free?

Information about the entrance fee will follow.

Are there guided tours or educational offers?

Information about guided tours and educational offers will follow.

Contrast in Bayreuth: Two Artists, Two Visual Worlds, an Intriguing Art Experience

Name: Exhibition | Contrast: Christin Breuil – Manfred Leirer
Start: 2026-10-09T09:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-30T23:59:00+01:00
Location: Neues Rathaus, Ausstellungshalle

Contrast: Two Artistic Positions from Burgenland in Bayreuth

The exhibition Contrast: Christin Breuil – Manfred Leirer brings together from October 8 to 30, 2026, two independent voices of contemporary art from Burgenland. As part of the cultural partnership between Burgenland and Bayreuth, the exhibition hall at the New Town Hall showcases two positions that engage with memory, landscape, color, and inner imagery in different ways.

Painting Between Nature, Poetry, and Memory

Christin Breuil lives and works in Rotenturm in Burgenland. Her painting is inspired by romantic French poetry and impressionistic artistic traditions. Delicate color compositions, atmospheric transitions, and abstracted landscapes lead into a pictorial world that oscillates between nature experience, dream landscape, and memory. The examination of the works opens a quiet aesthetic experience in which color becomes not only surface but also a carrier of mood and perception.

Manfred Leirer and the Sensual Materiality of Encaustic

Manfred Leirer, born in 1965 in Oberpullendorf, studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna with Wolfgang Hollegha, as well as philosophy and psychology at the University of Vienna. Since the 1990s, encaustic has shaped his artistic creation. In this historical wax painting technique, color pigments are combined with hot beeswax and applied to canvas or wood.

The surface of his paintings gains a special haptic and optical presence. Layers of color appear dense and corporeal, while also translucent and light-sensitive. Landscape, animal representation, and figure become open signs where observation, memory, and philosophical reflection intertwine. Leirer has received various awards, including the Gold Füger Prize, the Art Educator Prize, and grants for visual arts from the state of Burgenland.

A Dialogue of Two Visual Languages

The exhibition title does not describe a competition but rather a concentrated juxtaposition. Breuil's poetically abstracted painting and Leirer’s materially focused encaustic open different approaches to contemporary art. Here, atmospheric color tones meet evolved wax layers, soft memory and sensual materiality, impressionistic allure and art-historical rooted techniques.

The curation invites visitors to perceive differences while also discovering connections. Both positions transform personal perception into a visual language. For visitors, an art experience emerges that allows for concentrated observation of the works, cultural education, and individual associations.

Exhibition Atmosphere at the New Town Hall

The exhibition hall of the New Town Hall provides a centrally located interior space in Bayreuth for the works. Between light, color, and material, an exhibition atmosphere develops that invites lingering. The presentation is suitable for art enthusiasts who wish to discover contemporary painting, trace art historical references, and experience the cultural partnership between Burgenland and Bayreuth firsthand.

Conclusion: Two Perspectives, an Intense Art Experience

Contrast: Christin Breuil – Manfred Leirer combines poetic painting, abstract landscapes, and the sensual depth of encaustic into a versatile exhibition. The audience can expect a concentrated dialogue between two artistic personalities whose works translate nature, memory, and material into different visual forms. Anyone wishing to experience contemporary art with regional roots and an internationally accessible visual language should visit this exhibition live.