Art in multiple dimensions – your gallery for 20th and 21st century sculpture
Sculpture of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st century is an impressively wide field. While some artists tried to express the essence of their emotions by using an increasingly reduced vocabulary of forms, others also left the classical paths, experimenting with innovative and abstract forms, playful colours and even humour. Thus, the original idea of sculpture to create three-dimensional works out of solid materials gained new momentum, oscillating between seriousness, rigor, imagination and ease. Explore the fascinating and diverse world of Austrian sculpture in the Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter.
Experience Austrian sculpture up close
Visit us in the heart of Vienna and explore the various forms that fine art of the 20th and 21st century took in Austria. Like painting, sculpture is always a vivid mirror-image of its time, taking the beholder on a multi-sensual journey. The Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter displays a wide array of sculptures from art nouveau, classical modernism, and contemporary artists. We try hard to present artists within the context of their artistic roots in a way that allows for an intuitive reception and understanding.
The bronze cast
Evidently, the bronze cast occupies a particularly important position within 20th century sculpture as it was the medium of choice for many great Austrian artists like Fritz Wotruba, Josef Pillhofer, Joannis Avramidis, Wander Bertoni or Alfred Czerny. These and other artists that are featured in the Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter shaped a wide range of reliefs and free-standing sculptures with a unique effect. The lively play with form and size is as impressive as the different patinae which give every exhibit its very own individual aura.
Sculpture of the 20th century with different materials
Of course, bronze is not the only material used by Austrian sculptors. Other materials such as ceramic, wood, glass or metals like iron or aluminium have inspired and challenged many artists. Each substance confronts the artist with new difficulties but also opens up new possibilities to express oneself. A sculpture takes its inner force from the combination of form, colour and material or surface. This interplay of a few different factors in three dimensions allows for a diverse array of artistic expression, making sculpture a particularly captivating field.
Sculpting in Art Nouveau and the Wiener Werkstätte
As experts for Austrian art of the 20th and 21st century we are of course very interested in art nouveau and the famous Wiener Werkstätte (which translates to ‘Viennese workshops’). The expressive sculptural ceramics of artists like Susi Singer, Gudrun Baudisch und Vally Wieselthier speak a different language than the bronze cast. Expressive faces, round and dynamic forms paired with complex ideas and executed with a picturesque and colourful vocabulary of forms lend a special and quite emotional originality to these works.
Connecting sculpture and design
Especially the grey area between sculpting and design has attracted many great artists and gained a whole new quality through the work of the Wiener Werkstätte. Where does one field end and the other begin? Where is art seamlessly integrated into everyday life and where do ideas go far beyond the actual object, becoming visions of a better world? Visiting the Galerie bei der Albertina ▪ Zetter will open your eyes to the remarkable tension but also the cross-pollination between classical sculpting and artistic design.
Since the early 1990s we also show glass-heads and ceramic sculptures by Carinthian artist Kiki Kogelnik, known as Austria’s only pop-art artist, whose work we greatly admire. Particularly in her later years Kogelnik worked in the area of tension between the reality of her sculptures and their imaginary aspect, thus creating remarkably expressive artworks. In case of further questions regarding Austrian sculpture of the 20th and 21st century please contact us by phone
(+43-1-513 14 16) or by e-mail (zetter@galerie-albertina.at)
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Joannis Avramidis
Head II 1965Fritz Wotruba
Torso 1969Michael Powolny
Putto with Cornucopia (Summer) design around 1907, manufactured 1907 until 1912Joannis Avramidis
Trojan Warrior 1970Joannis Avramidis
Head 1996Joannis Avramidis
King Minos 1984Joannis Avramidis
Head 1970Joannis Avramidis
Small Group of Five Figures 1964Eduard Klablena
Parrot 1912/18Bertold Löffler
Brownie manufactured until 1912Michael Powolny
Season Putti design around 1911/12, manufactured until 1912 resp. from 1919 (autumn)Joannis Avramidis
Medium-sized Figure 1980Joannis Avramidis
Group of Three Figures 1980Gudrun Baudisch
Female Head 1928Joannis Avramidis
Band Head II 1981/82Kiki Kogelnik
"Sun Rise" 1996Waltraud Bertoni
The Big B design 1954Eduard Klablena
Fashionable Lady with Bouquet of Flowers around 1913-14Michael Powolny
Dancers design around 1907, manufactured until 1912Bruno Gironcoli
Burning Child I 1998-99Bruno Gironcoli
Head around 1964 -
Gudrun Baudisch
Kneeling Female with Bowls 1926-27Gudrun Baudisch
Female Head around 1928Joannis Avramidis
Small Group of Figures 1963Osamu Nakajima
Untitled 1992Gudrun Baudisch
Female Head 1928Eduard Klablena
Crow 1912-17Eduard Klablena
Standing Lady with Fur around 1913-14Alfred Czerny
Dying Horse I 1964Eduard Klablena
Water Sprite around 1912-13Bertold Löffler
Putto with Grape Shirt around 1912Bertold Löffler
Putto with Two Cornucopias design around 1912, manufactured after 1919Michael Powolny
Lady with Shawl design around 1909, manufactured until 1912Gudrun Baudisch
Double Head design 1929Michael Powolny
Putto Summer design around 1915/16Michael Powolny
Putto "Spring" design around 1915/16Johanna Meier-Michel
Krinoline "Winter" around 1912-14Eduard Klablena
Parrot 1912-18Michael Powolny
Dancers design around 1907, manufactured until 1912Eduard Klablena
Baboon around 1911-12Eduard Klablena
Water Sprite around 1912-13Vally Wieselthier
Prater Souteneur with Prostitute 1928 -
Eduard Klablena
Seated LadyMichael Powolny
Little Putto Spring design around 1911-12, manufactured 1912-1919Bertold Löffler
Brownie manufactured until 1912Bertold Löffler
Bellflower Putto design before 1910, manufactured 1912-19Joannis Avramidis
Small Column 1963-64Joannis Avramidis
Small Humanitas Column I 1963-1986Gudrun Baudisch
Two Female Heads 1927Gerda Gruber
"Jugador" 1999Eduard Klablena
He-goat 1912Bruno Gironcoli
Double Figure 1993-94Bruno Gironcoli
Untitled 1993-96Bruno Gironcoli
Soax Lup 1966Vally Wieselthier
Yak 1921Joannis Avramidis
Reclining Figure 1953Gudrun Baudisch
Head with Bowl 1926Gerhardt Moswitzer
Untitled 1990Gerda Gruber
Head 1999Gerda Gruber
"Platanal II" 1995Gerda Gruber
"Nodi liberi" 2002Gerda Gruber
Self-Portrait 2002Gerda Gruber
"Stracciatella" 2002 -
Gerda Gruber
"Lava" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Vulcano" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido rosso, sabbiato" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido blu sabbiato" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido bianco" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido arancione, sabbiato" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido rosso" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido ametista, sabbiato" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Nido arancione" 2002Gerda Gruber
The Heart 2002Gerda Gruber
"Cinque Nodi verticali" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Ritratto di Silvano" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Doble Camino" 1998Gerda Gruber
"Guerriero" 1999Gerda Gruber
"Nodi verticali" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Calzette" 2002Gerda Gruber
"Donuts" 2000Fritz Wotruba
Small Equestrian 1948Eduard Klablena
Parrot 1912-18Eduard Klablena
Animal Phantasy "Theatre Director" 1915-18