Josef Mikl was an Austrian abstract painter of the Informal style. Born in Vienna, he received his first training at the Graphische Lehr- und Versuchsanstalt, studying at the prominent Viennese academy from 1949 to 1956 under Josef Dobrovský. Collaborating with Friedensreich Hundertwasser at the Vienna Art Club, Mikl was a member of the Galerie St. Stephan group. In 1968 Mikl, well known in Austria, represented his home country at the 34th Biennale in Venice. Classified as an Informal and Modernist artist, Mikl himself despised his artwork being placed under a specific label, calling it "an insult" in an undated interview, he worked in oil and water colors, as well as sculptures and drawings that either stood alone or served as illustrations in a book or decorations in a church. Mikl is best known for renovating the Redoutensaal in Vienna's Imperial Palace after it was destroyed in a 1992 fire; the hall once served as a venue for the first performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's 8th Symphony as well as a summit between U.

S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita S. Krushchev and was reopened in 1997 with vibrant reds and yellows depicting notable themes and figures of Austrian literature, all of Mikl's design. Josef Mikl died of cancer on March 29, 2008, his funeral was held on April 3 though his death was not announced until the next day, in accordance with Mikl's wishes. Survivors include his wife, Brigitte Bruckner, their 20-year-old daughter Anna Mikl. Award from the City of Vienna City of Vienna Prize for Visual Arts and Graphics Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Ring of Honour of Vienna The Guardian: Josef Mikl, Austrian abstract artist who brought radical influences to his country after the war Josef Mikl on artnet

The Weins Commercial Building is a historic building located in Independence, United States. The central business district developed in Independence on the east side of the Wapsipinicon River along First Avenue. Fires in 1873 and 1874 destroyed the wooden buildings that were built there, they were replaced by brick and stone buildings, the wooden sheds that accompanied the commercial buildings were eliminated. This two-story brick Romanesque Revival style building was part of a second wave of new commercial construction in Independence, this time away from First Avenue. Built in 1892, it features patterned brick work ornamentation, round-arch windows, rusticated limestone and brick courses that emphasize the divisions of the interior. Most of the commercial buildings in Independence were built in the Italianate style, so the use of the Romanesque Revival for this building makes it unique, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997