Mask Franz Hagenauer ca. 1927

This early mask, crafted from alpacca, exhibits a distinctly primitivist formal language. Franz Hagenauer drew clear inspiration from the Parisian avant-garde in creating this and similar head sculptures made of hammered metal.

Artists such as Amedeo Modigliani, Constantin Brancusi, and Man Ray were deeply engaged in the early 20th century with the aesthetics of African art—particularly ritual masks and figures—whose abstracted forms they incorporated into their own work.
This influence is also unmistakably present in Hagenauer’s work: the elongated facial shape, the extended bridge of the nose, and the simplified, almost ghostly rendering of the facial features directly reference the European reception of African ritual objects. Whether Hagenauer studied these influences firsthand or—more likely—encountered them through the contemporary avant-garde remains unclear.
The mask is designed for wall display and captivates with ist striking reduction, the masterful craftsmanship of Werkstätte Hagenauer, and the intentionally visible traces of the repoussé technique.