Austrian art collector Werner Trenker is refusing to cancel a planned exhibition of 77 cross artworks by renowned painter Arnulf Rainer at Vienna's St. Stephen's Cathedral, despite receiving a strongly-worded legal letter from the 95-year-old artist opposing the display. The exhibition, scheduled for Lent 2026, has sparked a heated dispute between the collector and the artist's representatives over the appropriate context for displaying the works.

Trenker, owner of medical products conglomerate Med Trust and a collector for 15 years, claims he had previously discussed and received approval for the exhibition directly from Rainer and his family during meetings in spring and summer 2024. "The genesis was: there were several meetings with him and his wife and daughter. He said: 'The crosses must go out,' meaning they must be made accessible to the public," Trenker explained in a recent interview.

The collection in question consists of 70 cross etchings created by Rainer starting in 1956, which Trenker's collection uniquely possesses in its entirety. To reach the symbolic number 77, considered holy, seven additional large-format cross works by Rainer were added to the planned exhibition at the suggestion of Toni Faber, a prominent figure at the cathedral.

According to Trenker, the family initially rejected two museums he proposed for the exhibition. Although he legally didn't need their approval, he chose to respect their wishes to maintain good relationships with artists and estate managers. When the idea of displaying the works at St. Stephen's Cathedral emerged, Trenker says the family was not opposed. Hannelore Ditz, Rainer's manager and life partner, allegedly said the Munich Pinakothek would be preferable but agreed the cathedral would be "okay."

However, the situation dramatically changed during a meeting two weeks ago when Ditz suddenly announced she was "totally against this exhibition." She acknowledged she couldn't prevent it but expressed strong opposition. The reversal shocked both Trenker and Father Friedhelm Mennekes, the renowned German art priest who had agreed to curate the exhibition and has written eight books about Rainer's work.

Rainer's legal representatives argue that the artist feels his work is being co-opted by the church, stating that the works were never created from religious motives and that Rainer never placed his artistic creation in a sacred context. Trenker disputes this characterization, pointing to Rainer's extensive history of creating works for churches and religious institutions throughout his career.

"Rainer has created many works for the church - for the seminary in Graz, for churches in St. Pölten, Stuttgart, Lübeck, and for the church in Vienna's Pötzleinsdorf district. He published his own Bible. There are so many examples. He was awarded honorary doctorates in theology twice. For Mennekes, he even created special vestments," Trenker noted, highlighting the artist's long-standing relationship with religious institutions.

When confronted with this history, Ditz allegedly dismissed it, claiming Rainer only worked with churches because he needed money. While Trenker acknowledges this might be true, he argues that decades of collaboration with religious institutions cannot simply be erased. "The form of the cross can certainly be chosen by Rainer for purely formal reasons. But the Christian cross existed before Rainer began painting crosses. We never claimed he was a church painter!" Trenker emphasized.

Despite acknowledging that a 95-year-old artist should be allowed to change his mind, Trenker maintains that he has professional responsibilities as both a collector and exhibition organizer. The exhibition has already been announced with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker scheduled to open it, and Trenker feels obligated to be a reliable partner in the art world, even though his work is voluntary.

Trenker expressed regret that the dispute has escalated to legal letters distributed to media rather than being resolved through respectful discourse. He had even offered to have Rainer write a foreword for the exhibition catalog. "My dream would be to conduct a discourse with mutual respect," he said, lamenting that the public nature of the conflict will likely leave lasting impressions.

The collector draws a line at being told that crosses cannot be displayed in St. Stephen's Cathedral, arguing for the freedom not just of art, but also of museums, collectors, and visitors. Father Mennekes remains committed to curating the exhibition despite the controversy, and Trenker shows no signs of backing down from what he sees as an important presentation of significant artworks to the public.