Anton Hanak

Brünn 1875 - 1934 Vienna

The artist Anton Hanak initially took an apprenticeship as a woodcutter and cabinet maker. A five years lasting journey through wide parts of the monarchy followed, until he began his studies in Vienna at the Academy of Fine Arts in 1898. In 1902, Hanak exhibited his works at the Hagenbund for the first time. From 1906 to 1910, he was a member of the Vienna Secession. A year later, the long lasting collaboration with Josef Hoffmann began. In 1913, Hanak led the class for monumental sculpture at the Viennese School of Arts and Crafts and from 1932 to 1934, he taught a class for Fine Arts at the Vienna Academy. Hanak’s initial goal was the depiction of the human figure in an academic sense. With time, he developed his figures and occupied himself with various structures of surface as medium of meaning. He also created a large graphic oeuvre.