Beyond Time – Icon Exhibition by Loukas & Irene Seroglou

The title of the exhibition points to the transcendent origin and the timeless dimension of icon painting. Drawing on the enigmatic Fayum mummy portraits – which the early Christians developed into one of the most significant forms of spiritual art – a visual language unfolds that makes the invisible tangible. The icon is far more than a devotional image: it is a place of encounter, contemplation, and inner transformation. For centuries, monks have meditated upon this "vehicle of heaven," which symbolizes the passage from the visible world into the absolute.

The artist couple Loukas and Irene Seroglou once again present the thematic diversity and artistic depth of icon painting this year. Alongside classical depictions of saints, small-format icons framed by Byzantine and Italian book ornamentation will be on display.

Loukas Seroglou came to Vienna in 1960 on a scholarship, where he studied architecture, painting, graphic design, and decoration, and participated in numerous competitions and large-scale projects, including the overbuilding of the Franz Josef Railway Station and the AKH (Vienna General Hospital). His artistic journey began with a series of surreal paintings whose central theme is the question of life's meaning; most of these are in private collections, including that of the Austrian Federal President Dr. Rudolf Kirchschläger. Through years of stays in the monastic republic of Mount Athos in Greece, he discovered his love of icon painting, which he learned from several monks. He is also a state-certified tour guide for Austria and Greece.

Irene P. Seroglou completed her studies at the Athens Conservatory in piano, and after a brief course of study in philosophy in Luxembourg, she came to Vienna to devote herself together with her husband to icon painting, which she learned from various icon painters on Corfu and Crete. In addition to traditional icons, she specializes in combining iconography with realism. In 2025, she was nominated for the St. Leopold Peace Prize of Klosterneuburg Abbey.

Icons by Loukas and Irene Seroglou can be found in private collections, monasteries, and churches in Austria, Greece, Germany, France, and the USA.

• Date: 24.07 to 19.08.2026
• Opening Hours: Daily, 09:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00
• Venue: Bürgerspitalkirche St. Jakob at the Kammerhofmuseum Gmunden