Inspired by the serene nature that sorrounds his new home in Ireland, Helnwein starts to paint landscapes..
...

Sir James R. Mancham, president of the republic of Seychelles, visits Helnwein in Ireland and stays at his castle.

"The American paintings", Helnwein works on a series of blue monochromatic paintings, a surreal vision of America inspired by film noir and newspaper-photography from the 50ies and 60ies.
...

Inspired by Helnwein's early paintings, Argentinian writer Rodrigo M. Malmsten creates the play "Kleines Helnwein".
Premiere at the Theatro San Martin in Buenos Aires

The Ludwig Museum Cologne shows Helnwein's Installation "Poems" in the exhibition "Augenblick und Endlichkeit - Das von der Photographie geprägte Jahrhundert.
40 great photographers of the 20th century. ...

Gottfried at the Ludwig Museum, Cologne, "Augenblick und Endlichkeit"

Los Angeles County Museum of Art , "Ghost in the Shell", Photography and the Human Soul, 1850-2000, group show.
...

Gottfried Helnwein at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art , "Ghost in the Shell"

1999 "Apokalypse", one man show and Installation at the Gothic Dominican-Church in Krems, Austria.
County Museum of Lower Austria ...

Austrian playwright Wolfgang Bauer recalls in his essay "Inspired by Helnwein" for the catalogue of the "Apokalypse" exhibition:.
"As long ago as 1963 a fellow-artist and I imagined the horrible future of a free-lance artist. The topic of our discussion was not so much finances as the necessity of letting go and totally abandoning oneself. At the time I had the idea of inventing something like a 'fitness training of geniuses'. In retrospect I must say that I know very few artists who have persevered in this imaginary training programme. Gottfried Helnwein is one of them." ...

The New York Times reviews the exhibition "Choice" at Exit Art in New York: "According to the theory that to find good young artists you should ask older artists what they think, Exit Art has organized this show: 24 artists, most of them novices to the scene, were picked by 13 artists. The international selectors included Damien Hirst, Sam Taylor-Wood, Nari Ward, Gottfried Helnwein, Ronald Jones, Cindy Sherman and Kiki Smith.
The results aren't bad. Among what's notable are Iris Andraschek's creepy fish-tank concoctions, picked by Gottfried Helnwein... ...

Helnwein meets Cindy Sherman in New York.

"20 Years Modernism, Modern Masters and Contemporary Art", Modernism Gallery San Francisco.

Innovation / Imagination: 50 years of Polaroid Photography,Anselm Adams Center, San Francisco.

Photo session with Chuck Close in New York.

1998 One-man show at the Wäinö Aaltonen Museum of Art, Turku, Finland.

Rober Crumb writes to his San Francisco art dealer Martin Muller, regarding Helnwein's Art: "Helnwein is a very fine artist and one sick motherfucker.".

2nd Foto session with Rammstein at Schloss Burgbrohl.
The infamous "Tape-session". ...

Collector Fritz Gruber donates the "Poems"- Installation to the Ludwig Museum in Cologne.
...

Collector Fritz Gruber donates the "Poems"- Installation to the Ludwig Museum in Cologne

One-man show at Modernism Gallery, San Francisco.

"Götter, Helden und Idole" ("Gods, Heros und Idols"), Ludwig Institut Schloss Oberhausen, Germany.
...

1997 Retrospective at the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg,.
The collectors Peter and Irene Ludwig donate 53 works of Helnwein to the Museum Ludwig in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg ...

Gottfried Helnwein, 1997 Retrospective at the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg