Moses fountain by Professor Ernst Fuchs

Not far from the St. Barbara Church in Bärnbach, there is another impressive work of art in the public space: the Moses Fountain by Prof. Ernst Fuchs. Built in 1998 as a biblical complement to the Hundertwasser project, the seven-sided water basin combines spirituality, symbolism, and artistic imagination in an extraordinary language of forms.

The fountain tells scenes from the life of Moses: From seven corners, jets of water spray at timed intervals onto the gilded statue of Moses in the center. The figure stands on a pedestal made of 3600 glass prisms from Swarovski and is covered with 400 gold leaf pieces. Around the basin, finely crafted reliefs depicting motifs from the Old Testament can be found.

In the design, over 430,000 local pebbles, 144,000 glass mosaic pieces, and large boulders from the Oberdorf coal opencast mining were used – a interplay of nature, craftsmanship, and vision.

Prof. Ernst Fuchs, co-founder of the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism, created a work here that extends far beyond the region. The Moses Fountain is not only a place for art contemplation but also a sensorially experienced example of fantastic contemporary art in the heart of the Graz Region.