Beyond Time – Icon Exhibition by Loukas & Irene Seroglou

The title of the exhibition points to the transcendent origin and timeless dimension of icon painting. Beginning with the mysterious Fayum mummy portraits – which were developed by the early Christians into one of the most significant forms of expression in 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," symbolizing 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. Alongside classical depictions of saints, small-format icons framed by Byzantine and Italian manuscript ornamentation will also be on display.

Short Biographies

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 major projects, including the development above Franz Josef Bahnhof and the AKH (General Hospital). His artistic journey began with a series of surrealist works whose main theme is the question of life's meaning; most of these are in private collections, including that of Austrian Federal President Dr. Rudolf Kirchschläger. Through years of stays in the monastic republic of Mount Athos in Greece, he discovered his love for icon painting, which he learned from several monks. He is also a state-certified tour guide for Austria and Greece.

Irene P. Seroglou completed the Athens Music Conservatory in piano and, after a brief study of philosophy in Luxembourg, came to Vienna to dedicate herself – together with her husband – to icon painting, which she learned from various icon painters on Corfu and Crete. Alongside traditional icons, she specializes in combining iconography and 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 Kammerhof Museum, Gmunden