Wotruba, Fritz

Wotruba, Fritz (1907–1975). The leading Austrian sculptor of the 20th century, also a designer and architect. He was born in Vienna and trained there as an engraver, 1921–4, before studying sculpture under Anton Hanak (1875–1934). His masterly craftsmanship soon won him acclaim, as when his work was shown in an exhibition of Austrian art in Paris in 1929; Aristide Maillol is said to have refused to believe that such work could have been done by a 22-year-old. After the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, Wotruba took refuge in Switzerland. He returned to Vienna in 1945 and was made professor and later rector at the Academy. In his most characteristic works he carved directly in stone (see DIRECT CARVING), preferring a hard stone with a coarse texture. He began his career working in a naturalistic style reminiscent of Maillol, but moved towards abstraction by reducing the figure to bare essentials. It was essentially the method used by Brancusi, but in contrast to Brancusi's smooth, subtle abstractions, Wotruba's figures are solid, block-like structures. They were left in a rough state, creating a feeling of primitive power (Feminine Rock, Middelheim Open-Air Museum of Sculpture, Antwerp, 1947–8). He also worked in bronze (Standing Man, Tate Gallery, London, 1949–50). Wotruba had many public commissions for sculptural works, and from 1959 he also made stage designs, for example costumes for a performance of Wagner's Ring in Berlin in 1967. Near the end of his life he branched out into architecture, designing the church of the Holy Trinity on the outskirts of Vienna (constructed 1974–6). His work was admired and imitated by many younger Austrian artists, bringing about a revival of sculpture in his country, and was much acclaimed elsewhere. It is represented in numerous major public collections.