Born into a family of musicians in 1971 in Vienna, Laila Bachtiar began displaying autistic behavior as a young child. Always intent on creating art, she began frequenting the House of Artists in Gugging in 1990, and since 2003, she has been working in Gugging’s open studio. While visiting Museum Gugging and Galerie Gugging earlier this year, I discovered her delightfully distinct aesthetic, characterized by varied lines and swooping shapes.
The image featured above — one in her ongoing series of people — was fashioned with pencil and colored pencils in 2017. Several more images I captured of Laila Bachtiar‘s artwork while visiting Gugging’s museum and gallery follow:
“Laila’s Horse,” 2017, Pencil and colored pencils
“A Koala,” 2007, Pencil and colored pencils
“Piano Player,” 2008, Pencil and colored pencils
“Eine Ente,” 2007, Pencil and colored pencils
“Two Women,” 1992, Pencil and colored pencils
Photos of artworks: Lois Stavsky
