Hrdlicka dead
December 6, 2009
Alfred Hrdlicka, who was known throughout the German-speaking world both for his strong political views and art, has died at the age of 81.
His sculptures, drawings and paintings are known as much for their artistic subtlety as their controversial themes.
He is probably best known for the disturbing 'Memorial against War and Fascism', which was unveiled in Vienna in 1991. One figure in the sculpture is of a Jew scrubbing the pavement, bringing back the horrors of Austrian National Socialism within Hitler's Third Reich.
Hrdlicka was also responsible for a monument to Friedrich Engels, author of 'The Communist Manifesto' in the German city of Wuppertal as well as an “antimemorial” to a war memorial in Hamburg.
Comments and criticism
Hrdlicka's work and his membership of the Communist Party provoked both political commentary and social criticism.
The artist, who was said to be instrumental in the formation of Germany's Left party, was described by party co-chairman Oskar Lafontaine as a "secret godfather" of the party.
He had originally intended to be a dental technician but turned towards painting and later to sculpture. An encounter with mentally ill people in the 1960s led to an initial interest in their suffering and and later to the themes of pain and threat in general.
Hrdlicka held professorships at art academies in Vienna and the German cities of Stuttgart and Hamburg. Major exhibitions of his work were held in Austria, Germany, Italy, France, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Opposition to president
He publicly opposed former Austrian president Kurt Waldheim, whose Nazi past and service as an intelligence officer during the Second World War had caused controversy.
Hrdlicka remained active until late in life, despite many illnesses.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer paid tribute to the artist for devoting his life to fighting fascism and anti-Semitism.
The country's education and art minister Claudia Schmied described Hrdlicka as "a giant of international art."
Hrdlicka often referred to himself as a "cave man" or "proletarian" of art - uniting in his work the rough and the highly refined.
rc/dpa/AP
Editor: R. Balasubramanyam