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Modernist Sculpture51 piece(s) in the gallery Karl Hagenauer (1898-1956)
In 1898, goldsmith Carl Hagenauer opened a workshop in Vienna called "Werkstätten Hagenauer" and began generating an extensive collection of metal-ware. His son, Karl, studied with prominent designers such as Josef Hoffmann, and became director of the family business following his father's death in 1928. Although initially influenced by Hoffmann and the Wiener Werkstätte, Karl Hagenauer made increasingly sophisticated designs over time. He began working with Carl Hagenauer in 1919 at the age of 31. His work consists of various stylized forms and is remarkably avant-garde. The workshop achieved its utmost success during the interwar period when the pieces were shown at several exhibitions at home in Austria and abroad, resulting in high export records (Beyerle/Hirschberger, A Century of Austrian Design).
Carl Auböck Sr. (1900 -1957)
The "Werkstatte Carl Auböck" was established in 1906, among many other workshops in the seventh district of Vienna focusing on bronze-casting during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Auböck was one of the few Viennese students attending the Bauhaus in the twenties, post-World War I. Upon his return, in the spirit of his Bauhaus experience, he reorganized the workshop. His son, Carl Auböck (1924 -1993) and his grandson, also Carl Auböck (born 1954), persisted with the development of the Werkstatte, and today, it remains as the last one in its own tradition. More than 500 new objects were created between 1946 and 1950 alone, and after the death of Carl Sr., Carl Jr. and his wife Justine ran the workshop and were able to place their products in select designer shops in major metropolitan areas such as New York, Paris, London and Tokyo. Carl Auböck Jr. continues to run the workshop to this day and the product range encompasses approximately 400 articles from three generations (Beyerle/Hirschberger, A Century of Austrian Design).
Present-day production of Aubock pieces is limited to approximately 30 per year, per model. The original form, by the hand of Aubock himself, is lacquered in wax. The forms are resistant, solid brass and stored in an archive. Some models are cast in rubber, thus, there is no loss of detail or weight. The hair on certain figures might be more or less ground/polished depending on the mood of the person working it - the same goes for the patina. No two sculptures have the same surface.
Below are a few links that show some highlights of the processes:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB7hElG4h4U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b8NRZOENOU
Richard Kramer
Born in Germany in 1936. After the war, he moved to Canada and raised a family with 5 children. His son, Boris, has taken over his business and sculpts using similar techniques while still developing a personal style. The piece entitled “Emergence” has a dual meaning: It describes the personal development of an individual from a “simple” person to a person who is fully self confident. The couple at the end depicts the experience of finding a counterpart who compliments him. The other meaning is one of process. Normally, such pieces start with a round rod and using blacksmithing techniques, are hammered out into a figure. Nothing is ever added or taken away from the original bar.
Hans Theo Baumann
The Swiss designer Hans Theo Baumann served an apprenticeship as a textile technician before studying from 1943 to 1946 at the Akademie der bildenden Künste in Dresden and subsequently studying graphic design and interior decoration at the Kunstgewerbeschule in Basel. In 1955 Hans Theo Baumann opened a studio. By 1954 Hans Theo Baumann was freelancing for Rosenthal, a collaboration that would continue on into the 1970s. Companies for whom Hans Theo Baumann designed ceramics and glass objects include Thomas, Arzberg, KPM, Süssmuth, and Schönwald. Characteristic features of pieces designed by Hans Theo Baumann are clear geometric forms, the use of white, often without decoration, and softly rounded corners. In 1970 Hans Theo Baumann designed "Berlin", a successful service and cutlery range for Rosenthal. For Arzberg Hans Theo Baumann designed the services "3000" (1971), "Donau" (1973), "Turku" (1973), "Brasilia" (1975), and "Delta" (1977), as well as vases and other tableware. In 1959 Hans Theo Baumann was a founding member of the Verband Deutscher Industrie Designer (VDID: Association of German Industrial Designers) and was president of it until 1970.
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Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985)
As written on his website, Tapio Wirkkala was known as a highly versatile artist and designer who created objects in glass, wood, porcelain, metal, and plastics in addition to his work as an exhibition architect and graphic designer.
Known for his many creations, he designed the Finlandia Vodka Bottle (1970-2000) as well as the ceramic “Paperbag” which Rosenthal produced and Palette displays.
His Manner of Working
“I base my work on intuition, immediate understanding…
Designing an object entails drawing and correcting.
The making of many different models, and correcting and drawing again. There can be hundreds of sketches.
And, all of this work does not even lead anywhere…
If the mark of the designer’s sweat can be seen in an object, that piece has failed.
The work must not be seen in the completed piece.”
Wirkkala was often inspired by nature. The foundations of his work were his wide scope and skills of the hand. He has been compared to the master craftsmen of the past.
Tapio Wirkkala drew a great deal; but, he also wanted to study personally the various stages of making objects.
He did much of his initial design work while utilizing the “Puukko”, a traditional Finnish carving knife. He also designed his own special version of it which was eventually built by Hackman Cutlery and marketed by Brookstone in the 1970s.
Tapio Wirkkala’s long professional association with Rosenthal AG in Germany began in 1956. He made a considerable contribution to the output of this group of companies, designing eight porcelain tableware services for Rosenthal and seven for Thomas, in addition to over 200 different porcelain objects such as vases and dishes.
The Ruscha Milano Series
Rudolph Schardt founded Ruscha, the company name being comprised of the first few letters of each name, in 1905 in the town of Rheinburg, Germany. Ruscha closed in 1996 and was bought by Scheurich, the largest German pottery manufacturer. Scheurich still produces limited runs of Ruscha items under the name, “Ruscha Art”. Ruscha originally produced a line of items from vases to wall plates to animal figures.
Key Ruscha designers included:
~Adele Bolz whose Filigran design was highly sought.
~Otto Gerharz who became the Ruscha Plant Manager in 1951 and eventually started his own pottery operation, Otto Keramik in 1964.While employed at Ruscha, Gerharz developed the “Vulcano” glaze which is a red drip glaze with relief-surface and meltings in different shades of red and green.
~Kurt Tschorner. He developed shapes such as his soon- to- become iconic #313 jug vase with handle. Tschorner utilized “Vulcano” glaze in his creations and eventually left Ruscha to join Otto Gerharz at Otto Keramik.
~Hanns Welling who updated the older Ruscha product line to meet the “then” modern sensibilities of the 1950s.
In 1954, Ruscha introduced its “Milano Series” in which Palette’s piece(s) can be found. Perhaps, this series was the beginning of what further developed in later decades under the term, “Deco Echo” where the geometric abstracts, from a previous era, found on these vases are generally executed in softer shades on a white background.
Ruscha pottery was almost always made from white clay. There were a few occasions when brown or red clay was used to keep the production line operating. Ruscha pieces were never marked, “Made in Germany or West Germany”. Many pieces just have the form number impressed on their bases. For instance, our Ruscha Pitcher has “309” pressed on it underside.
In the late 1960s, the artistic branch of Ruscha closed and an era passed. Back to artist list |
