January 29, 2026
Tiny towns, giant opinions
The paper model houses of Peter Fritz (2013)
Cardboard city from a junk shop ignites cozy nostalgia and 'is this art' debates
TLDR: An Austrian insurance clerk’s 387 cardboard buildings, found in a junk shop and exhibited at the Venice Biennale, sparked big feelings. Comments mixed cozy nostalgia, blog plugs, and Thomas Demand comparisons, asking if hobby craft is “real art” and who deserves credit—Fritz or the curator who unearthed it.
The Venice Biennale may be over, but the comment section is still building mini drama around Peter Fritz’s 387 cardboard houses—crafted by an Austrian insurance clerk in the 1950s–60s, bagged up, forgotten, and later rescued for the big stage by artist Oliver Croy. The vibe? Tiny towns, giant feelings: half the crowd swooned over a lovingly imagined “everyday Austria,” the other half side-eyed the museum glow-up of a humble hobby.
One commenter waved a flag for the model-maker underground, dropping a decade-long blog in “zombie mode”—archimodels.tumblr.com—while another steered the convo to high-art paper wizardry with a link to Thomas Demand. Cue the familiar culture clash: is this art or a curatorial magic trick? Some praised the dignity given to vernacular (that’s regular, local) architecture; skeptics called it “curator bait,” saying the real artistry is the rescue act, not the buildings themselves. Jokes flew: “Austrian SimCity,” “an insurance clerk underwriting a whole town,” and “plastic-bag preservationists unite.”
In short, the cardboard city became a cozy rabbit hole of links, memories, and light snark—a feel-good discovery with just enough drama to keep the thread buzzing. Whether you’re here for nostalgia or nitpicking what counts as art, Fritz’s tiny world got everyone talking—and scrolling.
Key Points
- •Peter Fritz created 387 cardboard building models in the 1950s–60s.
- •The models depict imaginative, vernacular regional Austrian architecture across many typologies.
- •Each model was made from recycled cardboard, stored in plastic bags, and forgotten.
- •Artist Oliver Croy found the collection in a junk shop and facilitated its exhibition.
- •The works were shown at the 2013 Venice Art Biennale, forming an imaginary yet plausible town.