A controversial "Nazi" image by artist Gottfried Helnwein was daubed with red paint last week as Kilkenny Arts Festival entered its final days. Another Helnwein print, of a local girl, was set on fire and extensively damaged.

A spokesman for the festival said they were "disappointed and saddened" that the images had been attacked. He said Mr Helnwein's work had provoked a strong reaction throughout the festival. "There have been a lot of positive comments but there has been negative reaction as well."
The images have been a major talking point since before the festival began. A former mayor of the city, Mr Paul Cuddihy, initially objected to a painting being hung on the City Hall for fear it might be misinterpreted as lending support to Nazism. After meeting Mr Helnwein at his studio in Co Tipperary, however, Mr Cuddihy said the artist's work was "astonishingly good".

Kilkenny Arts Festival said the artist had a long and acknowledged record of taking a firm stand against Nazism and fascism. ...

The major art works of Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein, at Kilkenny Castle, Butler House and throughout the city are beautiful, prosaic, sinister, grotesque, unusual and ordinary and provoked a lot of discussion and disgust.

A controversial mural by Austrian artist, Gottfried Helnwein has been damaged at the Kilkenny Arts Festival.
Huge canvases of his work, depicting images of Nazi soldiers staring adoringly at modern Madonna and Child figures, were displayed on various buildings in Kilkenny during the festival.
One of the murals hanging at the front of Kilkenny castle had paint thrown at it sometime during the night.
Another picture by Mr Helnwein, featuring a young Kilkenny girl, was also partially damaged in another part of the town. ...

The visual focal point of the arts festival has to be Gottfried Helnwein's huge photographic images displayed on the streets of Kilkenny. Originally from Austria, Helnwein is now based in County Tipperary. His display of works on the streets of Kilkenny, and in Butler House, is testament to the power of this man's visual imagery. Helnwein's concerns could be viewed on a political level, indeed in his own homeland his work has been hounded by controversy, as he directly pinpoints neo-Nazi neuroses.
'Epiphany I: Adoration of the Magi' depicts a beautiful Madonna and Child being examined by Himmler's elite SS officers. This is strong stuff, with piercing connotations on the interaction of religion, politics and power in the 20th century. Juxtaposed with these images are a series of enlarged photographs of children's faces from Kilkenny. Hung in the same manner as billboard advertisements on buildings and walls, these photographs, with their silent, shut-eyed subjects, are meditative comments on life in the making. ...

Workmen finish one of a series of prints measuring 9.3 metres by 6.2 metres by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein.The prints of Kilkenny children will hang on buildings in Kilkenny as parts of its arts festival beginning on August 10th. ...

Una sociedad intolerante formada por padres que abusan de sus hijos y líderes políticos que ejercen de dictadores es lo que podremos ver en Kleines Helnwein, el espectáculo que el argentino Rodrigo M. Malmsten presenta en el Grec.
Inspirada en la estética del pintor austriaco Gottfried Helnwein, autor de obras que denuncian una sociedad oscura e hipócrita, para Kleines Helnwein Malmsten ha escrito un texto fragmentario, no realista, en el que el espectador advierte que el personaje que es una víctima se convierte en verdugo. ...

Strawinskys “The Rake´s Progress” hat am 10.06.
unter Flimm /Helnwein/ Metzmacher Premiere
» Flimm hat gemeinsam mit Helnwein, der auch die witzigen, farcenhaft übersteigerten Kostüme entworfen hat, am Bühnenbild gefeilt. «Die kleine Bühne macht die Figuren sehr stark. Und passend zu dem plakativen Stück hat Helnwein großformatig Videos und Dias mit Großstadtszenen und verzerrten Gesichtern in den Raum projiziert.» ...

Handiscoop: Welke foto’s fascineerden uzelf het meest?
.
Patrick: Ik ben onwaarschijnlijk onder de indruk van de foto van Gottfried Helnwein: een nostalgisch beeld van een jongen die aan het bidden is tot zijn God, Donald Duck. Alleen de aandachtige kijker ziet dat deze biddende jongen zijn handen niet kan samenvouwen. Zijn handen bestaan namelijk uit prothesen. ...

Magnific!!!, March 1, 2001
Reviewer: Nuno Miguel B Gonçalves from Leiria, Portugal
The work of Helnwein is simply one of the best i've ever seen!! The subject, the form, the color, the talent, everything makes for Helnwein to be one of the best artists in recent years, the book depicts well his work with superb photos, good reviews, a concise text not at all snobish. A great buy, good value for money!!! ...