Copyright of the artist%2C artist%27s estate%2C or assignees
Peter Altenberg, 1907
Bertold Löfflerexpand_more
Pen and black ink over graphite underdrawing on cream cardstockexpand_more
Gift of Tom Rassieur in honor of David Ryanexpand_more 2009.49.2
Not on Viewexpand_more
Bernard Löffler is widely recognized as one of the leading figures of the Weiner Werkstätte (Vienna Workshop)—a design collective of modern artists, founded in 1903, that objected to the prevailing conservative ideology of Austrian art.
This pen and ink drawing is an outstanding early example of Löffler's exuberant modern design aesthetic, which grew out of his affinity for the bold, linear style and decorative motifs of French art nouveau. The drawing's stylized patterning, geometric motifs, and strongly flattened pictorial space are characteristic of Löffler's graphic style of this period, which in this example perfectly complements the flamboyant spirit of the picture's famous sitter, the Bohemian writer Peter Altenberg. Löffler and Altenberg were both friends and colleagues on the forefront of Vienna's intellectual and cultural renaissance. The drawing may be a study for an unrealized printed illustration or bookplate.
Details
- Title
- Peter Altenberg
- Artist Life
- Austrian (born Bohemia), 1874-1960
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2009.49.2
- Provenance
- Sale, Im Kinsky Kunst Auktionen, Vienna, June 10, 1997, no. 254, to Tom Rassieur, Minneapolis; his gift to MIA, 2009
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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Copyright of the artist, artist's estate, or assignees