“Margarethe” Josef Pillhofer 1956-1960

The Austrian sculptor Josef Pillhofer was an important representative of post-war modernism in Vienna. Known for his works in stone, wood, and metal, he combined masterly craftsmanship with a clear formal reduction. After studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna under Fritz Wotruba and spending a year at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris with Ossip Zadkine, he came into close contact with artists such as Henri Laurens and Constantin Brâncuși, whose styles had a lasting influence on him. As a member of the Vienna Secession in 1955, Josef Pillhofer belonged to the group of artists who gave decisive impulses to modern developments in postwar Austria.
The sculpture “Margarethe”, created between 1956 and 1960, depicts a highly stylized standing female figure whose elongated vertical posture radiates an elegant austerity. In his search for the essence of the human form, Pillhofer reduces the body to geometric elements, allowing the figure to oscillate between figuration and abstraction.