We are delighted to announce our participation in the inaugural Astoria Artshow in Vienna from September 10 to 13, 2026. Organized by VAU Vienna Art United, this preview-edition fair brings together 70 galleries in the iconic Astoria Garage (Trautsongasse 4, 1080 Vienna)—Europe’s oldest multi-storey carpark, built in 1923 in the Neue Sachlichkeit style. Replacing traditional booths, the show presents art across light-flooded, loft like open halls under a central glass dome.

In line with the fair’s curated format, we will dedicate its entire presentation exclusively to two monumental masterpieces: the new oil canvas A Crystal Slumbers in the Pomegranate by Japanese artist Haruko Maeda. Reinterpreting royal portraiture through her signature "bone portraits," Maeda depicts Maria Anna of Austria (1738–1789) as a skeleton draped in rich ornamental splendor—merging Shinto traditions with Western Baroque iconography to explore transience and spiritual transformation. 

As well as the very intimate and deeply moving work Pietà ,in which the Japanese artist processes the painful loss of her beloved cat. The painting depicts the artist herself holding the lifeless animal in her arms, lingering in a posture of profound grief.

The famous Lucca Madonna by Jan van Eyck from the 15th century served as a defining visual inspiration. While the Renaissance prototype shows the Virgin Mary enthroned with the Christ Child, Maeda transforms this Christian motif into a secular, deeply personal devotional scene—a secular Pietà in which the protective and mourning bond between human and animal takes center stage. A striking feature of the work is the fusion of painting and object art: the artist crafted the sculptural, intricately detailed frame herself with meticulous handiwork.