THE PRELATE PAINTER

Chrysostomus Giner (born 1930 in Thaur near Innsbruck) served from 1969 to 2005 as prelate of Novacella Abbey. Throughout his long career he was instrumental in the evolution of the abbey and its role as a business; from the founding of the training center, to the erection of the abbey museum, to the intensification of wine production and fruit cultivation. Although he did not complete any artistic training, Giner has been a passionate amateur painter since his time as a cooperator in the abbey parish of Assling in East Tyrol (1956-1960). Even today, the 92-year-old prelate emeritus devotes himself to painting on a daily basis. The motifs of his works are mostly based on artistic models from different periods and photos from newspapers and calendars. Inspired by various stylistic models, Giner continues to this day to experiment with different painting methods and different types of coloring. The exhibition presents a representative cross-section of his work, which, in addition to portraits, religious paintings and compositions on the history of Novacella includes mainly depictions of alpine landscapes, farms and flowers.