Chimney Sweep and Lisl
Sketch by Paola Loew
Vienna 1965

Chimney Sweep - Vienna 1965
© Lisl Steiner

The photographer Lisl Steiner celebrated her 77th birthday in WestLicht. In order to bring luck to all her guests the artist invited a number of chimneysweeps to the gallery. During this "Homage to all Chimneysweeps", Lisl Steiner handed over her entire photographic archive to the Austrian National Library as a gift. As the climax of the official part of the evening, the pianist Paul Gulda played one of his own compositions as a surprise for Lisl Steiner's birthday.

Lisl Steiners "Hommage an alle Rauchfangkehrer"
19.11.2004

Die Fotografin Lisl Steiner feierte im WestLicht ihren 77. Geburtstag. Um sich und ihren Gästen Glück zu bringen, hatte die Künstlerin eine Runde Rauchfangkehrer in die Galerie eingeladen. Im Rahmen dieser "Hommage an alle Rauchfangkehrer" übergab Lisl Steiner der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek ihr gesamtes fotografisches Archiv als Schenkung. Zum Abschluss des offiziellen Teils überraschte der Pianist Paul Gulda das Geburtstagskind mit einem selbstkomponierten Stück.

WestLicht, the center of photography in Vienna aims to show the relationship between photographic apparatus and the art of photography.

The first large photo and camera gallery in Vienna has opened on 11th June, 2001 in the Westbahnstrasse 40, 1070 Vienna. Founded through the private initiative of camera collectors and lovers of photography, it is a non-profitmaking association striving to widen the importance of photography and itīs development in Austria.

Westlicht is home to around 1500 historic photographs of artistic and journalistic value. Westlight also houses the Viennese Leica Gallery, which enjoys close relations with the Leica galleries in New York and Tokyo as well as the main branches in Solms/Germany