Kitzbühel | Austrian music star Hansi Hinterseer, real estate entrepreneur Mary-Ann Schoeller, curator and art expert Florentine Rosemeyer and artist Simone Opdahl added a touch of glamour to this year’s opening of the Kitzbühel Easter Market in the Vorderstadt area last Saturday. Together, the prominent group unveiled a 2.20-metre painted Easter egg, which had been donated by Mary-Ann Schoeller of the Upton real estate company.
“Kitzbühel’s Easter market as well as the big Easter egg are a wonderful tradition each and every year. I have close ties to the area. A year and a half ago, Nicoletta Plumm from “Kitzbühel Tourismus” called me and asked me to support the Easter project. I agreed, but I didn’t want just any Easter egg. A very special one was needed for my beloved Kitzbühel. So I called upon art consultant Florentine Rosemeyer, who lives here in Kitzbühel, to curate the Art Egg. She was thrilled and recommended the artist Simone Opdahl.”
Beyond the artistic aspect, the good cause is also close to Mary-Ann Schoeller’s heart: “Our goal was to combine art with doing something good. So we came up with the idea of donating the Easter egg to the Wildpark Aurach wildlife park. I spend a lot of time there with my children on the weekends. Unfortunately, the wildlife park suffered great losses during the coronavirus pandemic, so the Easter egg will be used to enliven the wildlife park, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. There will also be a charity dinner coming up at which we will be collecting donations for the animals.” The distinguished team was even able to bring Hansi Hinterseer on board: “He has a close connection to the Wildpark Aurach and has filmed several films there. I am delighted to have Hansi supporting us today with this great Easter project,” said Mary-Ann Schoeller.
“What does Easter mean to you, Hansi?”
“It’s a time when nature comes to life in spring, and the days become longer. The more time you spend observing, the more you see. This time of year is a unique opportunity to engage with life. As you know, I really enjoy visiting my friends, the deer, at the Wildpark Aurach. Especially around Easter time, I like to keep an eye out for cute animal babies. When we were children, we used to pick little bouquets in the meadows when spring first blossomed and take them home. I still enjoy having flowers at home to this day.”
Curator and art expert Florentine Rosemeyer has lived in Kitzbühel for quite some time. She established the connection between Mary-Ann Schoeller and the artist: “Simone Opdahl is a perfect fit for this wonderful project, as animals and mountains are her core subject matter. Throughout her life, she has always been closely connected with animals and mountains. We could hardly have found a more suitable artist for creating this Easter artwork. She has portrayed the concept of the game park in an authentic and artistically compassionate way,” praised Florentine Rosemeyer.
The egg is decorated with motifs depicting the native chamois and ibex living in Kitzbühel. The work of art was created at the “Hotel Kempinski Das Tirol”:“Hotel director, Gerhard Bosse, kindly made the premises available to us so that the egg could be painted in peace,” said Florentine Rosemeyer. “This year’s Easter project is also primarily focused on sustainable thinking in relation to our animals and nature, and that’s a nice touch,” continued Mary-Ann Schoeller.
Pictures: 1) From left to right: Karina Toth, Florentine Rosemeyer, Mary-Ann Schoeller, Nicoletta Plumm, Simone Opdahl, Andrea Pletzer-Gasser, Hansi Hinterseer and Traudi Pletzer pose happily in front of the 2.20-metre Easter egg.
2) Pleasant conversations at the Easter market. Photos: Urbi
