Karl Hagenauer

Art Brokerage: Karl Hagenauer Austrian Artist: b. 1898-1956. Karl Hagenauer was an Austrian designer best known for his Art Deco sculptures. Often inspired by African art, Hagenauer explored an aesthetic similar to Pablo Picasso's early Cubist paintings, which were also influenced by North African masks and figurines. Hagenauer's works are composed of brass or wood to depict stylized animals, athletes, mythical creatures, and celebrities of his time, notably including famed American performer Josephine Baker. Some of these works also functioned as high-end utilitarian household objects, such candlesticks, corkscrews, ashtrays, and cigar cutters. Born in 1898 in Vienna, Austria as the son of the celebrated sculptor and designer Carl Hagenauer, he went on to study at the Vienna School of Applied Arts under Josef Hoffmann and Oskar Strnad. As he followed in his father's footsteps, he eventually took over the family company Hagenauer Werkstätte in 1919 before the elder Hagenauer's death in 1928. Today, his works can be found in the collections of the Museum of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in Salamanca and The Museum of Modern Art in New York, among others. The artist died in 1956 in Vienna, Austria. Listings wanted.