FRANZ HAGENAUER.
A SINGULAR POSITION
OF MODERNISM.
THE BREINSBERG COLLECTION

Editor: Hans-Peter Wipplinger
Authors: Erich Breinsberg, Maria-Luise Jesch, Ivan Ristić and a preface by Hans-Peter Wipplinger

Franz Hagenauer (1906-1986) enjoyed a thorough education to become a sculptor under Anton Hanak. Inspired by his encounter with the contemporary avant-garde in Paris, his sculptures made from chased metal were inspired by Art Deco, Art Africain and the Bauhaus. His heads and busts are among the most radical Modernist forays in Viennese Modernism. From 1956, he headed his father's workshop and, owing to the revival of Art Deco in the 1970s he exported his work to the USA. Alongside Rudolf Leopold, it is the Breinsberg family in particular that has compiled the most eminent Franz Hagenauer collection. The present publication has now been published to mark the Breinsberg family's generous donation to the Leopold Museum, which has brought together two of the most outstanding Hagenauer collections.