Alfred Hrdlicka (1928-2009) - Neolithikum

Alfred Hrdlicka (1928-2009), Neolithikum, 1984.

Etching on handmade laid paper, 25 x 20 cm on 33.5 x 28.4 cm sheet, numbered and signed.

Provenance: Private collection, Berlin.

Condition: Age-appropriate condition. The sheet is overall yellowed and with adhesive tape residue at all four corners. Photos are part of the condition description.

Biography
Alfred Hrdlicka (1928–2009) was a prominent Austrian sculptor, draftsman, painter and graphic artist and ranks among the most distinctive representatives of expressive-figurative art of the second half of the 20th century. After studying painting with Albert Paris Gütersloh and Josef Dobrowsky and sculpture with Fritz Wotruba at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Hrdlicka gained international recognition in 1964 when he represented Austria together with Herbert Boeckl at the Venice Biennale.

At the center of Hrdlicka’s art is the human body as an expression of violence, suffering, sexuality, power and social conflicts. Consciously he held on to the human figure and developed a powerful, often stark visual language that is found in his sculptures as well as in his drawings, lithographs and etchings. Historical and political themes such as war, fascism and oppression form a substantial part of his oeuvre. Among his best-known works are the Plötzenseer Totentanz and the monumental “Mahnmal gegen Krieg und Faschismus” at Albertinaplatz in Vienna.