African Nude Werkstatte Hagenauer ca. 1950
African nude on wave, design and execution Werkstatte Hagenauer, ebonized wood and brass marked, c. 1950
Marked with “wHw” in a circle and “Made in Vienna Austria”
Description
The Werkstatte Hagenauer began selling objects with African features as early as the 1930s. In the 1950s, this production experienced another upswing, male African sculptures were depicted for the first time and the product range of animals was expanded. From this period around 1950 comes this wooden sculpture of an African woman on a wave. The elegant pose paired with a strong reduction of form merges with the high-quality execution and use of carved fruitwood as well as cast brass speaks for the quality of the works of the Hagenauer workshop. This design is one of the rarer post-World War II African designs by the Hagenauer brothers and is a clear continuation of the distinctive style of this Viennese art manufacturer.
Execution
Werkstätte Hagenauer – stylistic evolution and importance
Today, the Werkstatte Hagenauer is rightfully among the most important Austrian Arts & Crafts manufacturers of the 20th century. The clear, strict formal language combined with dynamic poses and the usage of brass, nickel-plated, patinated or bare, along with copper, alpaca and exotic wood shows a high level of recognition.
However, it took the siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer quite some time until they developed their own unique style. Karl and Franz both attended the Vienna School of Arts & Crafts and studied under Josef Hoffmann, Oskar Strnad, Anton Hanak and Dagobert Peche.
Until the closure of the Werkstatte Hagenauer on December 30, 1987, art objects of outstanding quality were still being produced. The siblings Karl and Franz Hagenauer strongly contributed in coining the term „design“ through their legacy and are surely among the most influential Austrian artists of the 20th century.
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