Alfred Hrdlicka
Encyclopedia
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
– 5 December 2009) was an Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
, draughtsman
Drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art that makes use of any number of drawing instruments to mark a two-dimensional medium. Common instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, inked brushes, wax color pencils, crayons, charcoal, chalk, pastels, markers, styluses, and various metals .An artist who...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. His surname is sometimes written Hrdlička.
After learning to be a dental technician from 1943 to 1945, Hrdlicka studied painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
until 1952 at the Akademie der bildenden Künste under Albert Paris Gütersloh
Albert Paris Gütersloh
Albert Paris Gütersloh was an Austrian painter and writer.Gütersloh worked as actor, director, and stage designer before he focused on painting in 1921....
and Josef Dobrowsky. Afterwards he studied sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
until 1957 under Fritz Wotruba
Fritz Wotruba
Fritz Wotruba was an Austrian sculptor of Czecho-Hungarian descent. He was considered one of the most notable Austrian 20th century sculptors...
. In 1960 he had his first exhibition in Vienna; in 1964 he attained international attention as a representative of Austria at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
, Italy.
In 2008, his new religious work about the Apostles, Religion, Flesh and Power, attracted criticism about its homoerotic theme. The exhibition was housed in the museum of the St. Stephen's Cathedral
St. Stephen's Cathedral
St. Stephen's Cathedral may refer to any of the following:-France:*Agde Cathedral*Auxerre Cathedral*Bourges Cathedral*Châlons Cathedral*Limoges Cathedral*Meaux Cathedral*Metz Cathedral*Sens Cathedral*Toulouse Cathedral*Toul Cathedral...
of Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. He taught many sculptors, such as Hans Sailer, Angela Laich
Angela Laich
Angela Isabella Laich is a sculptor, draughtsperson, and painter, who specialises in figurative sculpture...
and others.
Works (selection)
- Roll over Mondrian. Etching, 1967.
- Friedrich EngelsFriedrich EngelsFriedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
Monument in Wuppertal, 1981. - Gegendenkmal at the Stephansplatz in Hamburg, 1985–86.
- Mahnmal gegen Krieg und Faschismus (Memorial against War and Fascism) on the Albertinaplatz in Vienna. Sculpture, 1988–91.
Exhibitions (selection)
- 1960: Wiener-Kunsthalle, Zedlitzgasse, Vienna (with Fritz Martinz)
- 1962: Künstlerhaus, Französischer Saal, Vienna (with Fritz Martinz)
- 1963: Ausstellungspavillon Zwerglgarten, Salzburg (organized by Galerie Welz)
- 1964: 32. Biennale (Venice), with Herbert Boeckl
- 2008: Werkschau in der Kunsthalle Würth (Schwäbisch Hall)
- 2010: Belvedere (Wien): Alfred Hrdlicka. Unsparing!
Literature
- Alfred Weidinger: Alfred Hrdlicka - Parallelwelten. Biografische Notizen 1928-1964. In: Alfred Hrdlicka - Schonungslos!. Bibliothek der Provinz, Weitra 2010, S. 13-56.
External links
- Alfred Hrdlicka official website
- Monument against War and Fascism in Vienna Austria See a video of his most important monument in Vienna.
- Alfred Hrdlicka at the aeiou EncyclopediaAeiou EncyclopediaAEIOU is a free online collection of reference works in both German and English about Austria-related topics.-Background:...
(German) - http://www.hilger.at/549_DE.5EAD6C4907165?kuen_id=22Galerie Ernst HilgerErnst HilgerErnst Hilger is not only a curator but also the owner and founder of Hilger modern/contemporary and Hilger BrotKunsthalle.A gallerist is a philanthropic mediator...
| Images of works of Hrdlicka] - Sculptures by Alfred Hrdlicka
- Furor, debate over Jesus orgy drawing