Zigarettenschachtel aus Stahl

In Linz, Austria, Zigarettenschachtel aus Stahl rises as a conical cigarette packet beside the city’s industrial heritage. The steel sculpture stands about ten metres high and opens visually towards white cigarettes inside. Coated metal forms those cigarettes, which appear partly covered or overgrown within the structure.

Gerhard Knogler and Karl-Heinz Klopf created the work in 1982, connecting everyday packaging with public art. Primetzhofer, a metal construction company from nearby Leonding, produced the sculpture with the artists. The Tabakfabrik originally provided its setting, linking the object to Linz’s tobacco industry and urban development. Construction for the Quadrillturm led to its temporary storage along the Untere Donaulände in 2021. Knogler studied in Linz, while Klopf was born there and later focused on architecture and urban spaces. Their collaboration leaves a striking contrast: familiar white cigarettes enclosed within a monumental steel packet.